As expected, former Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown is heading to New England.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded the three-time Pro Bowler to the Patriots on Monday, putting a cap on a long-rumored deal. In April, word got out that New England was interested in reuniting Brown with his first NFL coach, Mike Vrabel, around June 1 – a key date on the league calendar.
June 1 marked the day when teams could begin spreading remaining bonus money over two seasons instead of taking full salary cap hits in one year. Philadelphia – which is receiving a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for Brown – would have had about $43 million in dead cap money for 2026 compared to about $16 million this year and $27 million next year by waiting to trade Brown.
Brown was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and quickly became the team’s top receiver under Vrabel. He was traded to Philadelphia in 2022, a front-office move to Vrabel’s dismay, and won a Super Bowl with the team two years later.
Brown’s professional stat line includes 524 catches for 8,029 yards with 56 touchdowns.
Brown, a graduate of Starkville High School, played at Ole Miss from 2016 to 2018 and was named to the All-SEC first team in his sophomore and junior campaigns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
