Getty

Fans gather outside Gillette Stadium before a New England Patriots game. Foxboro officials are delaying approval of upcoming events as they push the Kraft Group to cover rising public safety costs.

New England Patriots legend Rodney Harrison is imploring the team to get a deal done surrounding Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A. J. Brown. This comes on the heels of Monday’s June 1 deadline, which gives the Patriots a better chance to acquire the wide receiver.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday that the Patriots are ‘confident’ that they will acquire A. J. Brown ahead of Monday’s deadline. This certainly sets things in motion. The Patriots have been linked to the wide receiver throughout the course of the offseason, and now it looks as though the deal could potentially end all of the rumors.

In the meantime, Harrison just wants the team to get a deal done. He likes certain aspects of Brown’s game, and he believes it will help the Patriots, as transcribed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

“He wouldn’t just impact the offense. He would provide so much excitement and confidence throughout the locker room,” he said. “If you can add a top-five to top-seven wide receiver to your roster, that is big from an emotional standpoint. This team has gone through an emotional sore getting over the Super Bowl and then what happened with their head coach, so it would give them an emotional boost.

“Not only that, you get a dawg. You get a guy with an attitude that is going to affect every single wide receiver there, every player, because he is a tough guy. It gives you an identity that you can be a big, physical offense.”

Patriots Target Had Slow Start To 2025 Season

Brown started slowly for the Eagles last season. He did not record 30 yards in each of his first four games. This included a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 when he recorded just two receptions for 7 yards on nine targets.

However, he was able to find his groove by the midpoint of the season. This is when he was able to fully integrate himself in the Eagles’ offense. He registered three consecutive hundred-yard performances. This included a game against the Chicago Bears in week 13 when he caught 10 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The receiver looked comfortable in the Eagles’ offense, and he was able to help the organization down the stretch.

That being said, that productive stretch only lasted in the regular season. Brown and the Eagles struggled throughout the postseason. The receiver only had three receptions for 25 yards on seven targets. He, along with the rest of the Eagles offense, struggled, as they lost the San Francisco 49ers by a 23-19 margin in the Wild Card Game.

Harrison knows a thing or two about getting a top-level receiver to help the offense. Wes Welker was the leading Patriots receiver during Harrison’s Patriots career. The receiver only played in New England for the final two years of Harrison’s career, which came in 2007 and 2008. Nevertheless, Welker recorded 2,340 receiving yards during that time. This included the 2008 season that saw him tally 111 receptions for 1,165 yards and three touchdowns.

Patriots Had WR Production During Harrison’s Career

Harrison certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the Patriots getting a big-time weapon. The Patriots would be wise to get a deal done with Brown as soon as the deadline hits. Doing so would give them another top receiving option for quarterback Drake Maye, and allow them to fully complete their offensive roster. The Patriots have done a solid job of building their wide receiver room this offseason, and now Brown would be the final piece of the puzzle.

This has been a hot-button issue throughout the course of the offseason.  Now it may be coming to a close. This would certainly be a relief for Patriots and NFL fans everywhere, especially with training camp on the horizon.