FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) 鈥� A.J. Brown is leaving a frustrating experience in Philadelphia for a reunion in New England with his first NFL coach.
The Eagles traded the star receiver to the Patriots on Monday, putting a cap on the long-rumored deal.
The they will receive a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 for the three-time Pro Bowler.
The trade comes after a frustrating 2025 season for Brown in Philadelphia, in which he had with an Eagles offense that played uninspired football at times while the team failed to defend its Super Bowl title.
Still, he on Instagram shortly after the trade became official Monday of him in an Eagles jersey with his hands making the 鈥渉eart鈥� symbol. He also posted a few of himself as a kid wearing a Tom Brady Patriots jersey.
Brown played under Vrabel for three seasons after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2019.
Brown, 28, quickly rose to the top receiving option in Philadelphia after to the Eagles in 2022.
He had back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons his first two seasons with the Eagles, catching 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 and 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven TDs in 2023.
He earned a Super Bowl ring during the 2024 season, but began to grow unhappy last season as the Eagles offense stagnated 鈥� leading to a change at following a wild-card playoff loss to San Francisco last season.
It led to an increase in chatter about the potential for a trade heading into this offseason. It didn鈥檛 happen during April鈥檚 NFL draft likely because the Eagles would have had about $43 million in dead cap money for 2026 compared to about $16 million this year and $27 million next year if traded after June 1.
Ultimately a high draft pick proved to be enough to persuade them to deal a player of Brown鈥檚 caliber.
The Patriots have been viewed as a possible landing spot for Brown since they released receiver Stefon Diggs in March. Diggs led New England with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in in New England in 2025, helping the Patriots , where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
Diggs鈥� exit made finding a No. 1 receiving option for quarterback Drake Maye a priority. The Patriots did add former Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs in free agency. But he doesn鈥檛 instantly change an offense the way Brown鈥檚 addition could.
Maye acknowledged last week that he was aware of the Brown-to-New England rumors.
鈥淚f he ends up being on our team, great. What a great player. And if he doesn鈥檛, we鈥檝e still got to work these guys here,鈥� Maye said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough balance, but I know he鈥檚 a phenomenal player.鈥�
Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, who was on the Eagles 2024 Super Bowl-winning team with Brown, said the receiver would be a big addition.
鈥淗e can definitely help our team,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淕reat dude. Monster on the field, great in the locker room, holding guys accountable and holding himself accountable. That鈥檚 everything you want in a player of his caliber.鈥�
Brown leaves Philadelphia as one of the top receivers in franchise history. He topped 1,000 yards receiving all four seasons with the Eagles. He totaled 339 total receptions and 32 touchdowns and was a crucial member of the two Eagles teams that played in the Super Bowl during his tenure.
Vrabel was entering his second season as coach of the Titans when the team selected Brown in the second round of the 2019 draft.
Brown caught 185 passes for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns over the next three years, peaking with a 2020 season in which he earned a Pro Bowl selection after pulling in 70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns.
But the Titans wound up trading Brown to Philadelphia on the second day of the 2022 draft that April despite having a season left on his rookie deal. The team was adamant that it wasn鈥檛 its preference to trade him but felt his asking price for an extension was too high.
Vrabel stated multiple times during that offseason that Brown would be on the roster as long as he was the coach, but the realities of the situation changed things.
鈥淯nfortunately, we understand that if we鈥檙e going to be here awhile we鈥檙e not going to be able to keep every single player that we draft and develop,鈥� Vrabel said at the time.
Four years later, he鈥檒l get to coach him again.
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