A.J. Brown trade rumor gives interesting nugget for Patriots, Chargers, Chiefs, Bills

Oct 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) reacts after a catch against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The world continues to wait on what the Philadelphia Eagles will do with star wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has been the subject of countless trade rumors this offseason.

In the meantime, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer dropped an interesting nugget about the teams on Brown's wish list.

That wish list has the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs on it, although Breer adds that the Patriots are the only team of that group seriously considering trading for him.

On the surface that would appear to give the Patriots some leverage, but Breer explains why that isn't exactly the case.

Finally, we’ve mentioned how the Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers and Bills were the teams on A.J. Brown’s wish list and that New England appeared to be the only team from that group really in on the idea of trading for the 28-year-old three-time All-Pro. That would seem to give the Patriots some leverage. But on the flip side, Brown is really the only top-shelf receiver on the trade market, which gives the Eagles leverage. Or maybe putting those two elements together will just turn this into a staring contest. Time will tell.

The Patriots just make a ton of sense for Brown.

Not only do the Patriots badly need a No. 1 receiver with New England reportedly set to cut Stefon Diggs, but Brown has a connection to New England through head coach Mike Vrabel, who Brown played under in Tennessee.

The roadblock to a Brown trade right now, according to rumors, is the Eagles' asking price, which NFL Network's Mike Garafolo revealed was "Quinnen Williams-esque."

That means Philly is looking for at least a first- and second-round pick, and quite possibly a player, which is what the Dallas Cowboys traded to the New York Jets for Williams.

The expectation is that's simply too much for the Patriots, but perhaps that will change if New England continues to strike out on receivers in free agency.

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