A.J. Brown trade grades: Patriots land No. 1 weapon for Drake Maye while Eagles end drama with solid return

Wide receiver A.J. Brown has been traded for a first-round draft pick for the second time in his career. This time, Brown is headed to the Patriots, ending his Eagles tenure and reuniting with his former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

Brown had four very productive receiving seasons in Philadelphia after Tennessee traded him for the No. 18 and No. 101 overall draft picks in 2022. A three-time Pro Bowler, Brown is known for big-play ability, with his big physical frame (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) made for the red zone.

The Patriots, the reigning AFC champions, will make Brown their No. 1 receiver in the third season for quarterback Drake Maye. The Eagles, meanwhile, prepared for moving Brown by drafting wide receiver Makai Lemon in the 2026 first round.

Here's a breakdown of the benefits for both New England and Philadelphia in a rather even deal with both needed additions and subtractions:

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A.J. Brown trade grades

Patriots receive:

• WR A.J Brown

Eagles receive

• 2028 first-round draft pick
• 2027 fifth-round draft pick

Patriots grade: A

The Patriots signed wide receiver Romeo Doubs (Packers) in the offseason and chose not to re-sign Stefon Diggs after one season. Doubs, however, is a consistent complementary No. 2 receiver, a need to jump both Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins into a prime role on the depth chart.

New England was waiting to upgrade its top receiver for Maye. Brown will be that needed field-stretching and scoring threat to better take advantage of Maye's big, accurate downfield arm in Josh McDaniels' offense.

Brown also is once again playing for Vrabel, who pushed him hard with the Titans to live up to his immense potential, which Brown came to appreciate late in his time in Tennessee before becoming a vital part of the Eagles' passing game for Jalen Hurts opposite DeVonta Smith.

Brown can rest assured he's the clear No. 1 with Doubs accepting his role, vs being co-top targets with Smith. Whatever issues Brown had with Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and the rest of the offensive staff in Philadelphia, he can leave behind now as a desirable alpha minus some dysfunction. Brown should see a confident Maye feeding him often and allowing him to make more big plays vs. tougher coverage.

Some might compare the Patriots getting Brown to the landing of Randy Moss for Tom Brady in 2007, setting up the then most prolific scoring offense in NFL history. Getting the same individual impact of big plays and a record 23 TDS, along with the team going undefeated during the regular season, aren't reasonable goals. But Brown fills a big need, and his presence should make Maye and every other aspect of McDaniels' offense better.

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Eagles grade: B

The Eagles get docked a little for not continuing to make their passing game operate with Hurts, Smith and Brown in harmony. Lemon might be a special talent, but his skill set is more there to supplement much of what Smith can do than be the "swole" complement to Smith. The new offense under former NFL QB Sean Mannion figures to have more emphasis on quick, reliable route-running and less on just relying on the size and strength of one particular target.

Much like the Titans didn't see Treylon Burks pan out to replace Brown, the Eagles can't assume Lemon will be a lateral on-field move that develops into an upgrade. Philadelphia may have needed to transition from Brown for Hurts' sake of not pressing things in the offense.

GM Howie Roseman couldn't keep Brown after all the drama involved with his wishy-washy relationship with the Eagles and the key offensive personnel.  The Eagles were smart to use some foresight in turning the page with Lemon.

With Brown turning 29 years old on June 30, the Eagles hope they got the best of his prime years, including their ring from Super Bowl 59. Replacing his production will be difficult at first, but at least they are well prepared to do so.