Morning Sports Update

"It's closer to June 1st, if not later tonight."

NFL insider bullish on Patriots-Eagles concluding A.J. Brown trade: One of the dominant subplots of the Patriots‘ offseason could reach an “anticlimax” on Monday night, as the public pursuit of wide receiver A.J. Brown could end soon with a trade from the Eagles.

New England has been unofficially connected to a possible deal with Philadelphia for Brown for months. Thanks to a June 1 contract distinction for Philadelphia, the trade has been delayed. NFL Media reporter Mike Garafolo explained the latest during a Monday segment on “Good Morning Football.”

“They were closer to trading him to the Rams back in March than they were to trading him to the Patriots,” Garafolo said of the Eagles. “Now the Rams since then have made it clear that they have had some conversations with Davante Adams that sort of made it sound like, ‘Well that ship has sailed.’ So now it’s can they pair him — the Eagles — to the Patriots.”

Garafolo also gave a quick explanation for why the start of June was so important for completing the potential deal.

“For those that don’t understand why June 1st is a thing: The Eagles are going to be able to take all this dead money,” he said, noting the on-screen graphic. “You can chop it up and push some of it into 2027. That’s going to be the case for A.J. Brown.

“That’s a huge hit in 2026, and it just wouldn’t have allowed the Eagles to go about their business in 2026,” Garafolo added of the 43.5 million in dead money. “Doing it now after 4 p.m. can push that off until 2027, or at least a great chunk of that into 2027.”

As for the timing of the trade, Garafolo countered a recent wave of speculation (including his own from last week) that a deal might not officially be completed for some time after June 1.

“I do expect him to be a Patriot,” Garafolo said directly. “Last week we talked about this, I said, ‘Well the window opens on June 1st, but maybe it doesn’t close until the start of training camp.’ Some conversations I’ve had over the weekend, I’m now… it’s closer to June 1st, if not later tonight.

“I believe this going to be really anticlimactic because we expected this to happen, for him to go to the Patriots. Again, I now as I sit here believe it is going to happen quickly.”

From @gmfb on #Eagles–#Patriots A.J. Brown trade watch beginning at 4:01 p.m. and perhaps ending shortly thereafter. pic.twitter.com/BZvXRQ5Jvv

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 1, 2026

Trivia: Who is the Patriots’ all-time leading receiver in terms of yards?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He was a Patriots first-round pick in 1977.

Scores and schedules:

The Red Sox defeated the Guardians 9-4 on Sunday, taking two of three from Cleveland in the weekend series.

Tonight, the Red Sox begin a three-game series against the Orioles at Fenway Park at 6:45 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

• Red Sox break through with 6 runs in the 7th to defeat Guardians 9-4
• Drake and Ann Michael Maye’s inaugural ‘MayeDay’ charity softball game is a big hit
• Bill Simmons doesn’t think Celtics are ‘in on’ Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Red Sox, Garrett Crochet get bad news after ace lefty has injury setback
• Christian Gonzalez’s teammate has his back amid reported contract holdout with Patriots
• ‘It’s a special feeling’: Mickey Gasper never gave up on his Major League dream, and now he’s reaping the rewards
• Claude Lemieux’s brain is being donated to Boston University’s CTE Center, his family says
• Ex-Patriots HC Jerod Mayo has a new job away from football

Finland wins the World Championship: Finland defeated Switzerland 1-0 in the 2026 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championships on Sunday thanks to an overtime goal.

KONSTA HELENIUS GOLDEN GOAL IN OT‼️🇫🇮 #MensWorlds #IIHF pic.twitter.com/4HlCIFFZ8d

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 31, 2026

Also from IIHF: Patrice Bergeron was among the inductees into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Welcome to the #IIHF Hall of Fame Class of 2026! pic.twitter.com/jWAmunfghq

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) June 1, 2026

A World Cup warmup: The United States men’s soccer team defeated Senegal 3-2 in a thriller on Sunday, with the team showing its attacking potential and defensive concerns in a back-and-forth friendly.

The U.S. begins World Cup play on June 12 against Paraguay.

On this day: In 2013, the Bruins defeated the Penguins 3-0 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Two goals from David Krejci and one more from Nathan Horton ensured that Boston took an early lead (from which the Bruins wouldn’t look back en route to a 4-0 series sweep).

Daily highlight: In a pre-World Cup friendly, Brazil carved up Panama 6-2. Amid several highlight-worthy goals (including a late thunderbolt from Panama), this curler from Brazilian forward Rayan stood out.

— TV Globo 📺 (@tvglobo) May 31, 2026

Trivia answer: Stanley Morgan