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

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Duly noted: but WR beggars can't be choosers: if we had just hit on a couple: we wouldn't be in this predicament. I think passing on that 2028 First Rounder is going to look like a good move two years from now.

But that's where we disagree, I don't think we need to be beggars at the WR position. Brown can improve us, no doubt, but quit acting like our offense is a complete joke currently simply because we don't have a "WR1." Our OL should be better. We have an actual FB now. Our TEs should be better blockers. Better pass protection and a better running game can certainly have just as much of an impact on Drake Maye, if not more, than AJ Brown.

Again, he makes us better, but I simply disagree we are in a "must get him" situation.

 

[Real fan 02]

Absolutely. I'm just saying if it's absolutely necessary to trade our 2028 1st rounder to improve the offense, you can do more good and for longer by trading for a lineman rather than a WR.

Oh most definitely! I get what you're saying! I just like the course we are going. The drafts have been so piss poor that we have enough very few core players to build with. So if we can continue developing Campbell, Wilson, and lomu we can have our own all pro Caliber players!

 

[Water Boy]

I do agree with you that adding AJ to our current roster does make us better, but it's highly debatable whether or not that improvement is worth a 1st round pick.

Sometimes you have to swing for the fences. Others have astutley pointed out that we are in that golden scenario of a top tier QB on a rookie contract. You need to load up on talent while you can afford it.

It's analogous to an MLB team acquiring a stud player at the trade deadline to make a run at the world series.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Sometimes you have to swing for the fences. Others have astutley pointed out that we are in that golden scenario of a top tier QB on a rookie contract. You need to load up on talent while you can afford it.

It's analogous to an MLB team acquiring a stud player at the trade deadline to make a run at the world series.

But if the report of a 2028 1st round pick is accurate, we'll be loading up on talent that we won't be paying for until Maye and Gonzalez are no longer cheap. I'd like to save that 1st round pick for when we don't have a ton of cap space to make a splash in free agency.

 

[moosekill]

And miss 2 years of cheap Drake. Many on this board way overvalue draft picks and are always looking to the future rather than the here and now.

 

[Water Boy]

@Crazy Pats Guy - Fair point, but is the goal to have sustained success with a winning record every year or make a legit run when the opportunity is there.

I think we are in a different paradigm now than we were with Belechick and Brady. BB had a way of getting the absolute most out of a roster full of role players and game planning, Scar could coach up our Oline no matter what the circumstances and Brady was a force of nature, able to make it work with a few key pieces.

Vrabes is a great coach and Maye is a stud but I don't think they'll ever have the magic fairy dust of the BB/Brady era. It will take a team loaded with talent to win a SB.

What is the expectation for 2026 with our current WR corp and a brutal schedule? Do we mail it in this year with the expectation that we'll out draft the rest of the league in 2027 and 2028 picking most likely in the mid to bottom of each round?

With the rise of analytics, almost every team drafts well these days. The most you can hope for is just to keep pace.

 

[KCSVEN]

What is the expectation for 2026 with our current WR corp and a brutal schedule? Do we mail it in this year with the expectation that we'll out draft the rest of the league in 2027 and 2028 picking most likely in the mid to bottom of each round?

With the rise of analytics, almost every team drafts well these days.

I think expectation is win the division. Bills are the main competition and outside of Allen, the roster and coaching are suspect. They also appear to have a tougher schedule than the Pats.
Once you are in the playoffs you always have a shot.

People worry too much about draft position, outside the top 10 the odds of getting a star player go way down
Teams (Chiefs, Pats etc.) can have runs for years drafting at the bottom.

The Rams had 1 first round pick from 2017 to 2025 yet had 1 losing season and made the playoffs 7 of the 9 years and won a Super Bowl.

Great QB and great coach seem to be the key to competing every year. Since 50% of rosters turnover every two years that makes sense.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Well they should bring Diggs back with A.J. the more Good WR's the merrier.

So they should release a promising young receiver to bring back Diggs, who is clearly on his last legs. And you wonder why people think you are an idiot.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

@Crazy Pats Guy - Fair point, but is the goal to have sustained success with a winning record every year or make a legit run when the opportunity is there.

I think we are in a different paradigm now than we were with Belechick and Brady. BB had a way of getting the absolute most out of a roster full of role players and game planning, Scar could coach up our Oline no matter what the circumstances and Brady was a force of nature, able to make it work with a few key pieces.

Vrabes is a great coach and Maye is a stud but I don't think they'll ever have the magic fairy dust of the BB/Brady era. It will take a team loaded with talent to win a SB.

What is the expectation for 2026 with our current WR corp and a brutal schedule? Do we mail it in this year with the expectation that we'll out draft the rest of the league in 2027 and 2028 picking most likely in the mid to bottom of each round?

With the rise of analytics, almost every team drafts well these days. The most you can hope for is just to keep pace.

You're probably right that we won't see the sustained success we saw during the Brady/Belichick era. That doesn't mean I don't want the Pats to strive for it.

Where I disagree completely is the notion that not trading a 1st round pick for AJ Brown is "mailing it in" this year.

So hypothetically speaking, if we made that trade and Brown got hurt in training camp, would the season be over?

 

[Huckleberry1]

I think expectation is win the division. Bills are the main competition and outside of Allen, the roster and coaching are suspect. They also appear to have a tougher schedule than the Pats.
Once you are in the playoffs you always have a shot.

People worry too much about draft position, outside the top 10 the odds of getting a star player go way down
Teams (Chiefs, Pats etc.) can have runs for years drafting at the bottom.

The Rams had 1 first round pick from 2017 to 2025 yet had 1 losing season and made the playoffs 7 of the 9 years and won a Super Bowl.

Great QB and great coach seem to be the key to competing every year. Since 50% of rosters turnover every two years that makes sense.

I agree. I think you conduct your offseason recognizing where you are at in your development as a team. I.e..you don't do what the Dolphins did, getting rid of numerous high picks for Hill, Chubb, Ramsey etc....when you aren't even a playoff caliber team. And last years offseason the Patriots understood this and went about strengthening their roster in every way they could without giving up future picks. This year's Patriot team is in a completely different context, they now have the team to compete for a Super Bowl, and will almost certainly be picking in the last 3rd of teams. That's when they can trade a high pick for a player they believe can help them get over the hump and win a Lombardi. I'm not saying that trading a 1st for A.J. Brown gets that done, but this is when you can make that kind of move. That could mean a trade for Maxx Crosby, or another dominant player, but they wouldn't be doing it when they feel like they aren't close enough to contend for a Lombardi, they would be doing it when they feel like they have a real shot.

If they give up a 28' first for Brown I will feel like they overpaid, but this front office has done such a good job the last offseason and this one that I will give them the benefit of the doubt, and hope the additions they have made on offense will make Maye an even better player than he was last year.

 

[PatsFan2]

You're probably right that we won't see the sustained success we saw during the Brady/Belichick era. That doesn't mean I don't want the Pats to strive for it.

Where I disagree completely is the notion that not trading a 1st round pick for AJ Brown is "mailing it in" this year.

So hypothetically speaking, if we made that trade and Brown got hurt in training camp, would the season be over?

Injuries are part of the game: no player is immuned to that. AJB have been reasonably healthy thus far. Your question could apply to Maye and Gonzo too.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Injuries are part of the game: no player is immuned to that. AJB have been reasonably healthy thus far. Your question could apply to Maye and Gonzo too.

Water Boy implied that going into the season with our current WR corp would be mailing it in. I disagree completely.

My point is that if you have that mindset, what do you do if AJ Brown gets hurt in camp?

 

[Water Boy]

Water Boy implied that going into the season with our current WR corp would be mailing it in. I disagree completely.

My point is that if you have that mindset, what do you do if AJ Brown gets hurt in camp?

Ok. Guilty as charged. Perhaps a little hyperbole there.

 

[zimmy]

Have any of the Patriots beat insiders come out and refuted the 1st round pick+ trade compensation. Seems to have been a lot of silence but maybe I’ve missed something.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Have any of the Patriots beat insiders come out and refuted the 1st round pick+ trade compensation. Seems to have been a lot of silence but maybe I’ve missed something.

Shefter's connections are league wide, the connections Patriots insiders have aren't. I even question that they " insiders" at all. Curran has lost a ton of credibility imo, and I tend to think most are talking out of their asses. The one I trust the most these days is Phil Perry. And if it comes from Felger you can chalk it up as garbage right out of the gate. Few people on this earth are more full of **** than he is. He should have SCUMBAG tattooed across his forehead.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Trust me stater: you don't need to be a physic or read tea leaves to see the vast desparity between 2027 and 2028 Draft prospects. One word describes the desparity... "Malpractice". To put on in simpler terms it's like the current Patriots WR room compared to the rest of the Leagues.

It's always those who are full of **** who talk the most ****. And by " those" I mean people like you.

 

[gobesmug]

I think expectation is win the division. Bills are the main competition and outside of Allen, the roster and coaching are suspect. They also appear to have a tougher schedule than the Pats.
Once you are in the playoffs you always have a shot.

People worry too much about draft position, outside the top 10 the odds of getting a star player go way down
Teams (Chiefs, Pats etc.) can have runs for years drafting at the bottom.

The Rams had 1 first round pick from 2017 to 2025 yet had 1 losing season and made the playoffs 7 of the 9 years and won a Super Bowl.

Great QB and great coach seem to be the key to competing every year. Since 50% of rosters turnover every two years that makes sense.

And in that same time frame the Jets had 4 top 5 picks, 2 additional top 10 picks, and the highest pick being 15.

The importance of what value a 1st rd pick or 2nd rd pick is a laughable.

Draft picks are simply opportunities to draft someone who has potential. Trading for a proven veteran gets you a guaranteed contributor.

 

[The Gr8est]

And in that same time frame the Jets had 4 top 5 picks, 2 additional top 10 picks, and the highest pick being 15.

The importance of what value a 1st rd pick or 2nd rd pick is a laughable.

Draft picks are simply opportunities to draft someone who has potential. Trading for a proven veteran gets you a guaranteed contributor.

So why don’t the smart teams just trade all of their picks for proven players?

 

[gobesmug]

So why don’t the smart teams just trade all of their picks for proven players?

Obviously its the salary cap. You need to have cheap players to offset higher priced vets.

Right now the pats have locked in their QB and LT on rookie contracts meaning they can spend higher on other positions.

In the future signing expensive vets or trading for expensive vets wont be an option when Maye is getting paid like a top 3 QB on the league.

 

[mgteich]

Obviously its the salary cap. You need to have cheap players to offset higher priced vets.

Right now the pats have locked in their QB and LT on rookie contracts meaning they can spend higher on other positions.

In the future signing expensive vets or trading for expensive vets wont be an option when Maye is getting paid like a top 3 QB on the league.

Have the rams and chiefs had trouble signing top vets when they needed to?