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

[Give Kraft A Hand]

The Browns are rumored to be seeking crazy compensation for Garrett.

He is the Franchise similar to when Barry Sanders was the Lions.

He’s the one player in football where the ask can be 3 1sts and you give those up no questions asked.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

I’d also rather have a 2027 2nd rounder than a 2028 1st. Next years draft is supposed to be very good and it gives you cost controlled talent to build on before the big money kicks in for Gonzo and Drake.

 

[sb1]

So it could be a conditional 2028 first based on his performance with us? I'm ok with that.

 

[Real fan 02]

So it could be a conditional 2028 first based on his performance with us? I'm ok with that.

Me too!

 

[Hammer of Thor]

The void years.
Follow the CBS link - it's very complicated.
The Eagles added void years to push the cap charge out. That's why he's only $7M in 2026.
But I will admit I don't totally understand it - trying to summarize what I read on Overthecap and CBS.

Definitely complicated. The big question I have is why the 2026 option bonus would be the Patriots responsibility and not the Eagles, unless they haven’t actually picked it up yet.

Regardless though, it’s a very messy end of the contract; I would expect the Pats would attempt to renegotiate to some extent so there isn’t a $53m dead cap charge in 2030.

 

[PatsFan2]

Definitely complicated. The big question I have is why the 2026 option bonus would be the Patriots responsibility and not the Eagles, unless they haven’t actually picked it up yet.

Regardless though, it’s a very messy end of the contract; I would expect the Pats would attempt to renegotiate to some extent so there isn’t a $53m dead cap charge in 2030.

Yeah!!

 

[jdlboot14]

He'd be nice. But I've been firm on this...
I don't want to give away more than he's worth, just to satisfy a chanting mob. He's had a lot of miles, sketchy knee, and just like Moss, he'll only stay happy for ~2yrs here, unless we're winning championships. It's going to be restrictive on our cap - regarding Gonzo & Maye's deals upcoming. A top 5 CB & QB (pre-prime) is worth much more than a post-prime top 10 WR.

Sure, our offense wouldn't be as good without AJ, but the question is - would a motivated Boutte with this hungry and rising overall corp be a stronger TEAM overall the next 2-4 years than if AJ came for 2 and hindered the development/chemistry of the whole?

I'm just saying there's reasons to be okay if it doesn't happen - especially if it costs us a 1st & Tons of $$.

 

[patfanken]

The Pats did not draft a WR to replace Diggs and are up the creek without a paddle if this deal dont go through.

Howie Roseman is the sharpest GM in the business and holds all the cards. Time is on his side and not on Wolfs. Training camps and preseason games are starting soon and some stud WR always pulls up lame. Just wait a few months for new team that never serves baloney to its players to be looking for a WR.

That's BS T, he doesn't have "all the cards". He has a team to build as well. A team with FOUR new WR's to integrate into a NEW OC's offense, Having AJB baggage around his neck isn't exactly what he's looking for. What's the point of waiting for any length of time past this week. He needs to end the AJ Brown saga and start to build his team. It's a HUGE distraction.

I can see a day or two passing to create some drama and rumors for the media ruminate on, but trying to seemingly squeeze something more from the Pats at the last minute seems more like a Triumph thing than a Howie Roseman thing.

 

[Real fan 02]

He'd be nice. But I've been firm on this...
I don't want to give away more than he's worth, just to satisfy a chanting mob. He's had a lot of miles, sketchy knee, and just like Moss, he'll only stay happy for ~2yrs here, unless we're winning championships. It's going to be restrictive on our cap - regarding Gonzo & Maye's deals upcoming. A top 5 CB & QB (pre-prime) is worth much more than a post-prime top 10 WR.

Sure, our offense wouldn't be as good without AJ, but the question is - would a motivated Boutte with this hungry and rising overall corp be a stronger TEAM overall the next 2-4 years than if AJ came for 2 and hindered the development/chemistry of the whole?

I'm just saying there's reasons to be okay if it doesn't happen - especially if it costs us a 1st & Tons of $$.

Honestly.. Vrabel was looking to add at WR regardless. If you looked at our WRs corps there really was no one to fear per se.. Vrabel knows what a championship caliber team looks like.. he got to an AFCCG with AJ catching passes from Ryan Tannenhill!! AJ became a realistic possibility & personally I don't believe Vrabel was over reaching.. I believe he saw an opportunity and here we are!

 

[Uptown]

 

[mayoclinic]

He’s the one non-QB in football where the ask can be 3 1sts and you give those up no questions asked.

FIFY.

We've already reportedly turned down 3 1sts for one such guy.

 

[Ross12]

The void years.
Follow the CBS link - it's very complicated.
The Eagles added void years to push the cap charge out. That's why he's only $7M in 2026.
But I will admit I don't totally understand it - trying to summarize what I read on Overthecap and CBS.

It's not too complicated really. I posted about this a few pages ago. Basically there is an option bonus each year that is essentially a new signing bonus. That bonus is pro-rated for 5 years each time it is paid out. So each year that passes, you are tacking on 1/5th of each option bonus that you have paid him so far.

Philly has already paid him some signing bonuses and option bonuses, and when he is traded, all of the leftover money they still owe him will be due. If they traded him before June 1st, it would have all accelerated onto this year's cap. By trading him after June 1st, they only have to pay him what they would have already owed him this year, and the rest of the balance is deferred onto next year's cap.

For New England, they only need to worry about the option bonuses that are due this year and going forward. So, they are paying one option bonus this year in real cash but only paying 1/5th of it on the cap, which is why the cap charge is so low. Next year they will again pay another option bonus in real cash, but only 1/5th of it on the cap, plus another 1/5th of the prior year's option bonus. In year 3, again, another bonus paid in real cash, but 1/5th hits the cap, plus 1/5th of the prior year, and 1/5th of the one from two years ago, etc...

Eventually the contract ends and the balances of each option bonus that are still left accelerate to become due. Each individual bonus will have varying balances remaining which add up to that larger cap charge.

I have proposed that they likely would cut or trade him in the last year of the deal to avoid his last option bonus and also end up with a smaller dead money charge (around $45M instead of $55M). He will be 32 years old by then so likely slowing down. In the event they want to keep him around, they could instead extend him a couple of years to add years to the deal and keep spreading out the option bonus pro-rations and kicking the big dead money hit down the road. Either option is doable depending on preference 3-4 years from now.

 

[PatsFan2]

It's not too complicated really. I posted about this a few pages ago. Basically there is an option bonus each year that is essentially a new signing bonus. That bonus is pro-rated for 5 years each time it is paid out. So each year that passes, you are tacking on 1/5th of each option bonus that you have paid him so far.

Philly has already paid him some signing bonuses and option bonuses, and when he is traded, all of the leftover money they still owe him will be due. If they traded him before June 1st, it would have all accelerated onto this year's cap. By trading him after June 1st, they only have to pay him what they would have already owed him this year, and the rest of the balance is deferred onto next year's cap.

For New England, they only need to worry about the option bonuses that are due this year and going forward. So, they are paying one option bonus this year in real cash but only paying 1/5th of it on the cap, which is why the cap charge is so low. Next year they will again pay another option bonus in real cash, but only 1/5th of it on the cap, plus another 1/5th of the prior year's option bonus. In year 3, again, another bonus paid in real cash, but 1/5th hits the cap, plus 1/5th of the prior year, and 1/5th of the one from two years ago, etc...

Eventually the contract ends and the balances of each option bonus that are still left accelerate to become due. Each individual bonus will have varying balances remaining which add up to that larger cap charge.

I have proposed that they likely would cut or trade him in the last year of the deal to avoid his last option bonus and also end up with a smaller dead money charge (around $45M instead of $55M). He will be 32 years old by then so likely slowing down. In the event they want to keep him around, they could instead extend him a couple of years to add years to the deal and keep spreading out the option bonus pro-rations and kicking the big dead money hit down the road. Either option is doable depending on preference 3-4 years from now.

Who's Brown's Agent? His contract is one of the most Player friendly contracts I have seen in years. It could really put his Team in a pickle *Dead money wise*.

 

[patfanken]

OK, I'm comfortable now with giving up a CONTINGENT "28 first round pick as long as it based on some kind of health measurements like games played. Some like being on the field 3/4's of the games. If he's that healthy to be on the field 12/13 games a season, he'll get his yards or it will be our fault, not Philly's

That is 2 full years of ZERO compensation for a top 10 WR, who fits perfectly into our offensive system and QB's strengths (per the Kyle clip). It will hurt come April of 28, but as long as there is some kind of contingency that covers this issue of his chronic knee issues, I'll be good with that.

 

[KCSVEN]

Sure, our offense wouldn't be as good without AJ, but the question is - would a motivated Boutte with this hungry and rising overall corp be a stronger TEAM overall the next 2-4 years than if AJ came for 2 and hindered the development/chemistry of the whole?

The NFL rosters change over so much there are only a few players that are considered the core. By start of year three only 35% of the roster, on average, is still on the team.
By the fifth year only about 10 or 15% of the roster players are still on the team
You keep a few core guys, mainly the quarterback, and then everyone else is interchangeable. You really need to be thinking in two year windows and if AJ Brown is healthy enough to be a true number one, his two years are worth way more than Boutte over four.

 

[Ross12]

Definitely complicated. The big question I have is why the 2026 option bonus would be the Patriots responsibility and not the Eagles, unless they haven’t actually picked it up yet.

Regardless though, it’s a very messy end of the contract; I would expect the Pats would attempt to renegotiate to some extent so there isn’t a $53m dead cap charge in 2030.

My understanding is because while the option bonus is guaranteed, it is written such that the payment timing is flexible and can be held off all the way until Week 1 of the season. So if they simply don't pay it yet and trade him while it is still unpaid then the payment becomes his new teams' responsibility.

In a way it is kind of like a guaranteed salary which would also be something that would transfer to the new team but is being broken up across 5 years instead of all in one year.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Hard to believe the Eagles would be okay with waiting until 2028. This reminds me of the Seymour trade where the Pats traded him for the 2009 season and still didn't get to use the pick until 2011. Seymour would've been useful during those two seasons.

I don't think Roseman can see that not was he was lucky as hell to even win one in 2024, but any chance of him winning another is quite slim.

 

[hornetfb85]

Hard to believe the Eagles would be okay with waiting until 2028. This reminds me of the Seymour trade where the Pats traded him for the 2009 season and still didn't get to use the pick until 2011. Seymour would've been useful during those two seasons.

I don't think Roseman can see that not was he was lucky as hell to even win one in 2024, but any chance of him winning another is quite slim.

Then, with all due respect, Howie and the Eagles can pi$$ off.

 

[Ross12]

Hard to believe the Eagles would be okay with waiting until 2028. This reminds me of the Seymour trade where the Pats traded him for the 2009 season and still didn't get to use the pick until 2011. Seymour would've been useful during those two seasons.

I don't think Roseman can see that not was he was lucky as hell to even win one in 2024, but any chance of him winning another is quite slim.

IMO, this is a lame duck year for Nick Sirianni. They will replace him in 2027 and the new coach will do one year with Jalen Hurts as a "transition year" before Hurts also gets shipped out in 2028 for a couple firsts, or around that, for draft capital and to save cap space. So in 2028 they will have 3 firsts (their own, the Patriots', and the team that acquired Hurts) in the second year of the new HC's tenure to retool the roster.

At least that is what I see happening anyway.

 

[Rob0729]

After months of hearing about the genius of Howie Roseman, how Roseman holds all the cards, and having read and listen to the ridiculous trade compensation the Eagles fans thought they were going to get; Wolf will deserve his praise if the final trade is a conditional 2028 first round pick.