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Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown. New reporting suggests the Patriots could pursue a blockbuster trade involving future first-round draft compensation.

The New England Patriots may already know what it will take to land A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, and according to longtime insider Tom E. Curran, talks between the two teams now feel less like speculation and more like a “foregone conclusion.” Curran said he believes a future first-round pick would likely headline any deal, though New England could receive additional compensation back in return to soften the cost.

That detail may be the biggest development yet in the growing Brown-to-New England speculation. Curran suggested the framework would not simply be Brown for a lone first-round selection, noting the Patriots could potentially receive a Day 2 pick back from Philadelphia in the process, a wrinkle that could significantly change how fans and league executives evaluate the blockbuster’s true price.

Curran on A.J. Brown Trade Compensation

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has twice characterized the package in similar terms.

“I still think it is on track,” Schefter said of an A.J. Brown deal, still expecting a future first-round pick, specifically one in 2028, to headline the trade, according to Curran on his Patriots Talk podcast. “I still think all these elements are in place, and I still think that once we get to June, these two sides will get together and complete a trade that will send A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots.”

Philadelphia reporter Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer echoed that read on his own podcast.

“It’s at this point just a foregone conclusion from what I understand,” McLane said, as quoted by Curran. “The only question is what’s the compensation? This is a future first-rounder. But there could be something in return that would set it up so that it’s not as much for the New England Patriots to give.”

Curran pushed back on a naked first-round exchange. Brown for a 2028 pick alone is too steep, he argued, particularly for a franchise building toward contention. A second- or third-rounder coming back from Philadelphia shifts the math considerably.

Brown Trade Talks Face Packers Complication

At least one voice in league circles is urging caution. Professional bettor Simon Hunter said on the Sharp or Square podcast that he has heard the Green Bay Packers are “sneakily in the conversation” for Brown, a claim that carries credibility given Hunter’s track record.

The Eagles-Packers connection is not purely theoretical. Philadelphia traded for Green Bay wideout Dontayvion Wicks earlier this offseason, and the Packers did little at receiver in the draft, leaving a hole Brown could immediately fill for quarterback Jordan Love.

Still, Curran’s read, backed by two Schefter reports and McLane’s Philadelphia-side sourcing, points firmly toward New England. Brown has fueled speculation about his future after a difficult 2025 season in Philadelphia. For the Patriots, landing a receiver of his caliber, one PhillyVoice‘s Jimmy Kempski ranked fifth all-time in Eagles receiving history, would arguably mark the franchise’s most significant pass-catcher acquisition since Randy Moss.