Wouldn’t this have been a riot if the Patriots dragged things out with the Philadelphia Eagles and didn’t finally consummate this trade until, say August during real training camp?
Actually, it only took one day for the Patriots to make this inevitable trade come true. Almost immediately, the Patriots acquired A.J. Brown from the Eagles in exchange for two draft picks. The trade took place on Monday, June 1st, the earliest day in which this trade could have been consummated. By waiting until June 1st, the Eagles get a lot more salary cap relief versus had they traded him before June 1st.
To get Brown, the Patriots sent two draft picks to the Eagles: a 2028 first round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick. Since the Patriots have two fifth round draft picks next year, the Eagles will get the higher of the two.
This trade was probably the worst kept secret in the entire NFL. You were more sure of this trade happening then you would be if you were waiting for Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel to come clean about his dalliance with Dianna Russini.
But the trade did happen. Now it is left to Patriot Nation to figure out if this really was a good trade for the Patriots. Did the Patriots overpay for Brown? Is Brown an injury risk with his bad knee? Was Brown’s dissatisfaction with the Eagles a bad indicator of his willingness to be a good teammate in Foxborough rather than some kind of man-child crybaby who will spout off at the least adverse thing that might happen to him?
Let’s first of all look at the Patriots wide receiver room as it is currently constructed right now.
In addition to Brown, you have Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mac Hollins, Kyle Williams, Pop Douglas, and Efton Chism. It is not likely that all of these players will be with the Patriots on opening night in Seattle in early September. It is up to the coaching staff to find out what exactly they have with these two new additions of Brown and Doubs in addition to the returning players from the 2025 AFC Championship team
One name that keeps coming up in possible trade talks is Boutte. He would be the player that might possibly draw the best in return as far as draft capital and possibly other players goes. The Patriots would likely prefer to not get rid of Boutte, but with a crowded wide receiver room like what they have now, somebody has to go. Boutte has missed all the voluntary work outs so far and is acting like a player whose time in Foxborough might possibly be coming to an end.
The other likely candidate to be traded would be Chism. Chism was an undrafted free agent in 2025 who did get to see some game action towards the end of the regular season. However, with Brown and Doubs at the top of the depth chart, it is hard to envision Chism fitting into this group of wide receivers if Boutte stays and nobody else leaves the Patriots.
So let’s say for now that Chism winds up being the odd man out. With whomever is left, what would be the roles of all the players who remain?
Brown and Doubs would be the obvious starters. Brown would be the X receiver which would be his primary role, but perhaps not his only role. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was recently questioned about the various roles of each of these receivers. McDaniels talked about versatility and his desire for these receivers to learn as many different positions as possible. if, for example, Boutte becomes the top candidate for the slot receiver, this would present a formidable passing attack, especially when you figure in tight end Hunter Henry and his skill set.
The next issue would be what to do with Hollins, Williams, and Douglas. One negative aspect of keeping Boutte around would be the reduced playing time and touches for Hollins. Hollins proved last year to be a very valuable member of the Patriots offense, as he and Stefon Diggs proved to be a very good starting tandem for the Patriots last year. Williams did show some flashes of good play in the second half of the 2025 season, enough to not give up on this receiver whom the Patriots drafted last year in the third round. Douglas is going into his fourth season and has shown considerable talent, but also a pension for not being able to stay on the field. This problem went all the way back to the Bill Belichick era when Douglas was a rookie, where he showed flashes of talent but did not consistently stay on the field
That leaves Chism. Chism contributed on special teams, as most young players do when they have a hard time getting on the field at their given position. Chism made a few good plays for the Patriots during the last month of the 2025 season. Whether that translates into more playing time in 2026 at the wide receiver spot remains to be seen. If Chism does make the team in 2026, it may be only on special teams or perhaps as a return specialist.
Vrabel and McDaniels will have a lot of work to do in putting all of these players through various position drills. They will need to study these players closely, to weigh all of their strengths and weaknesses together, and then decide which receivers they will keep and which receivers they will try to move to other teams in return for draft capital or other players. As simplistic as this sounds, it is really easier said than done as these players will literally be vetted for every possible receiver position they might be asked to line up in. Also, they will be vetted on their pass blocking skills, which could single out one or two players who might be deficient in this area.
Mandatory workouts will be next week. Probably nothing of any substantive value will be decided during those mandatory workouts, other than seeing who shows up and who doesn’t. After this the league as a whole goes into about a month-long vacation, and then training camp begins in late July. It might not be until real training camp hits followed by the preseason games when final decisions will be made as to who stays and who goes.
This leaves about a month and a half for all sorts of speculation as to what will happen with the wide receiver room. Suffice it to say that no decisions will be made hastily, unless the Patriots’ hand is forced. One situation that bears looking at is the fact that Boutte has missed the voluntary workouts, and all eyes will be on him to see if he shows up to the mandatory workouts next week, and if he does, how well he practices and gets along with everybody in general. It still perhaps remains that Boutte will be a prime trade candidate for the Patriots, so it would be really nice for everyone involved if somehow Boutte stays and the Patriots are able to find some kind of combination that works for all of these receivers.
Until then the prevailing feeling right now is the fact that Brown is a Patriot, he loves being here, he’s calling it a dream come true, and right now everything is copacetic where Brown is concerned. One of the big questions is how long it stays this happy and joyful with Brown. Some folks have openly wondered why Brown would want to shoot his way out of town from a recent Super Bowl champion like Philadelphia. Brown’s right knee will also be a topic of discussion, and an area of concern for the Patriots. As several writers have stated, this trade in the end might possibly not work out for the Patriots.
For now, let’s say it does work out. Let’s say Brown is the one player that gets the Patriots over the hump and they actually do win a Super Bowl next year. That right there might validate this trade as one of the best trades the Patriots have made in recent years.
Until then, everyone needs to take a “let’s wait and see” approach, and just let things play out. You the fan are allowed to dream whatever it is you want to dream, but right now it’s simply time to relax and let the process begin.
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Covering Boston Sports since 1997. Native of Worcester, Mass. Attended UMass and Univ of Michigan. Lives in California. Just recently retired after 40 years of public school teaching. Podcasts on YouTube at @thepic4139
