Patriots Rumor A.J. Brown trade rumors heat up - Should Patriots get him?

[Real fan 02]

He has to put up at least 1000 yds for that to happen. Certainly not ruling that out: somebody is going benefit from us having Brown.

 

[Huckleberry1]

What I don't understand is why people think AJ Brown can just be plug and play here. Besides Randy Moss, have any other big-name receivers EVER understood McDaniels' system?

You guys looking to trade Boutte are wanting to trade someone that's improved every year he's been in the system....who has earned Maye's trust, has earned Josh's trust... for someone who has been injured recently and a malcontent, as well?

At this point, I wait for the Eagles to drop him and pick him up for basically a Diggs-level prove it deal. Draft capital for potentially another veteran WR to wash out of our system? Hell no.

I don't think people want to get rid of Boutte, I think he's well liked and respected by most Patriot fans. I think the issue is that most don't think they will be able to re-sign him, and given that are willing to include him in a Brown trade.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Why trade assets for an unknown guy like brown???

How about we resign diggs (legal troubles notwithstanding)
quarterbacks seem to do well when diggs is on their team!!!!

 

[hornetfb85]

To start with, I’m not intending to really trigger anyone here. With that said I’m sure some will be.

Anyways, I am a Boutte fan, and personally hope he is with us this year and beyond. That said, based on some reactions on here, you would swear he was a 1200 yd/10 TD receiver. Base purely on skillset, AJ Brown is the better player and it’s not close. Now adding in other factors like attitude and crap like that I can see the negative thoughts towards brown. Brown makes this offense better.

Just my opinion.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

To start with, I’m not intending to really trigger anyone here. With that said I’m sure some will be.

Anyways, I am a Boutte fan, and personally hope he is with us this year and beyond. That said, based on some reactions on here, you would swear he was a 1200 yd/10 TD receiver. Base purely on skillset, AJ Brown is the better player and it’s not close. Now adding in other factors like attitude and crap like that I can see the negative thoughts towards brown. Brown makes this offense better.

Just my opinion.

Agreed. Just like Pop Douglas has real trade value. They need to upgrade the weapons and AJ Brown is a number 1. The rest of the guys on this team are probably 3’s and maybe with the right game plan they’ll occasionally have a game where they show off as a 1 or 2. AJ Brown is that guy.

 

[FortressX]

In for the push to 100 pages !

Not too excited about this trade.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

.....this is not Madden. Just because the dude's got the better career does not make him a better fit on this team. Besides Randy Moss, how often has this worked out? Please, point to me a free agent signing or trade for another team's big-name receiver has worked out well.

CHEMISTRY with your quarterback, that thing that Madden can't duplicate, is vitally important. And Boutte has that.

 

[scott99]

For years, we’ve been hoping the Pats could land a #1 receiver. After Moss, we haven’t been able to land one. Edelman was a slot, and obviously Gronkowski was a TE. We finally have a chance to land a #1 receiver.

I know we scored the 2nd most points in the NFL in 2025, but the offense had serious trouble vs very good defenses, which is no surprise. It was easy to take away our weapons, and attack Maye. It would be great if we can give Maye good weapons that can get open. Brown (if we get him) & Doubs are a great start.

 

[hornetfb85]

Should always be looking to upgrade the talent on the roster. Brown is an upgrade over Boutte. Hopefully it works out we have both.

 

[festy1986]

I want back all my down votes when I said Diggs would be released and Brown would be added for the upcoming season.

Some of y'all were high on the Superbowl run to make rational decisions.

 

[Mack Herron]

Another:

 

[Grimmy]

Why trade assets for an unknown guy like brown???

How about we resign diggs (legal troubles notwithstanding)
quarterbacks seem to do well when diggs is on their team!!!!

14 catches for 110 yards in the four post-season games. Whether he was sulking because he found out he was leaving the team, distracted by off-field stuff, or just not performing, I don't know. Yes there were O-line issues but we needed Diggs to step up and he disappeared. If we are spending good money on a player turning 33 I wouldn't want these questions over him.

 

[Bradyking12]

Another:

Getting him and then AJ would be crazy.

 

[gobesmug]

For all the moaning about bad WR drafts, you look around and see so many teams cutting bait with their successful WR hits, certainly true of the infamous 2019 draft, but now you see it all over the place. The Cowboys aren't going to sign Pickens long-term, and the Steelers sent him packing.

It's interesting to see how many teams thing the star WR and their huge contracts as busting the tructure of the team. Tyreek Hill's contract and all those picks certainly did not help Miami.

The real strategy seems to be to find highly productive WRs within your system that don't destroy the team structure. WRs are not QBs.

Jerry Jones has a history of playing games with contract extensions. He made Prescott play out a year on his FT and was forced to trade away his future HoF Micah Parsons over his games.

The Steelers traded away Pickens for 2 reasons. 1 Pickens didn't want to be there long-term and had slump year. 2, they spent a 1st rd pick and more for DJ Metcalf giving him a 5 year 150 mil contract.

The Seahawks traded Metcalf because they had JSN who they just extended as the highest paid WR after winning the Superbowl.

I get it you hate how much this board obsesses over WRs, but they are still as valued as ever.

 

[gobesmug]

T

.....this is not Madden. Just because the dude's got the better career does not make him a better fit on this team. Besides Randy Moss, how often has this worked out? Please, point to me a free agent signing or trade for another team's big-name receiver has worked out well.

CHEMISTRY with your quarterback, that thing that Madden can't duplicate, is vitally important. And Boutte has that.

Randy Moss is the only HoF WR that was still near his prime that the Patriots picked up.

Thats only 1 example and it turned out amazing. Randy Moss made the go ahead TD in the Superbowl.

 

[Real fan 02]

Another:

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kyle-pitts-named-trade-candidate-

023900888.html

There seems to be some truth here with pitts. I've been all over TE should be upgraded and Pitts is the guy. We could be potentially be talking about an offense with:

WRs. AJ, doubs, K. Williams, Hollins
TEs K. Pitts, Henry, Hill and draft pick
Rbs rham, Henderson and draft picks

Offense would become explosive!

 

[Real fan 02]

14 catches for 110 yards in the four post-season games. Whether he was sulking because he found out he was leaving the team, distracted by off-field stuff, or just not performing, I don't know. Yes there were O-line issues but we needed Diggs to step up and he disappeared. If we are spending good money on a player turning 33 I wouldn't want these questions over him.

Diggs not being is is 2 reasons

1. His multiple off field distractions lawsuits, ect.

2. His unwillingness to restructure

He was awesome last season and really couldn't have asked for a better regular season for a 30 plus wr coming off a serious knee injury.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

Another:

This looks like some rando on twitter. But Pitts would be great with Drake Maye. Adding him and AJB more or less makes the Pats the team to beat in the AFC imo.

 

[Real fan 02]

This looks like some rando on twitter. But Pitts would be great with Drake Maye. Adding him and AJB more or less makes the Pats the team to beat in the AFC imo.

Agreed. The offense under Josh would become so multiple!

 

[PatsFanInVa]

It's not a good thing for a guy to have a total of 14 catches in 4 post-season games. It sure ain't "clutch." But factor in the return of intolerable sackage during the post-season, esp., the SB, and you realize that we didn't have enough left in the tank to make the run we had to make on offense (although you do have to admit that Drake threw for a lot of pointless - pun intended - yards in garbage time in that SB).

I believe we played 3 of the top 5 defenses in those 4 games, and we came out of nowhere last year to do it. So it's not like Diggs is a lost cause, but he can't be a cap-consuming monster. He gets first-among-equals money if we complement him with stronger performers, and we can't just count on him becoming something he's not now. He's a good first among equals, or preferably second among equals. He's not a monster talent.

So if Diggs is somehow back, then so be it - I love him as part of the nucleus moving forward, if the money side is right.

Okay that said, here is who to hate among the gameday commentariot next season:

Whoever first says, when Doubs isn't open, whether for a play or a game, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

Hate that guy HARD. And you know someone will do it. "Wherefore" doesn't mean "where" in that quote. This is worse than the comment about "Norman Einstein" from some years back.

Fuller explanation:

When Shakespeare's Juliet says "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo," she's not looking for him. She's saying, Romeo, why you got to be Romeo? The thing is, Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet, which is basically like Hatfields and the McCoys. In her next line she tells him to deny his father and his family - or if he won't, she offers to no longer be a Capulet. "Wherefore art thou Romeo" means, "couldn't you just be (for example) Stephon Diggs, with whom my family has no issues?"

Anyway, the main thing is, when Drake Maye is looking for Romeo Doubs and he's not open, every ****wit in the commentariat is going to be saying "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo," and I will be throwing my ****ing Riverside Shakespeare at the TV, which WILL end a modern flat screen (O for the too, too solid sets of yore.) Join me in pre-hating the "smartest guy in the crew" who first makes the erroneous pun. Two out of three pre-cogs agree.

WHEREFORE MEANS "WHY," GODDAMMIT.

I need every one of you bastards to stand up and loudly correct this incredibly irrelevant inevitable error whether home with the in-laws, in a bar, or at the ponytail guy from Goodwill Hunting, also in a bar, when he opens his festering gob to spew this little pseudointellectual misfire. You just stand the **** up and fire back "WHEREFORE MEANS WHY NOT WHERE," and add at the end "Thou unmuzzled, pox-marked lout!" or whatever the Shakespeare Insult Generator comes up with.

For ****n sooth!