Adam Schefter says the Patriots and Eagles could finally put a deal together for A.J. Brown on June 1, and his best guess is that New England would have to part with a future first-round pick to make it happen. Speaking Monday on The Pat McAfee Show, Schefter said he expects the trade to come together then and believes a 2028 first-rounder could be the centerpiece.
“I expect that this trade will come together on June 1st,” Schefter said, adding that it would not be hard to get done because “the Eagles are open to moving him, the Patriots want him, and I believe in the end it will involve a future first-round draft pick. My guess is 2028 — one in 2028. But, let’s see what the two sides finally figure out there in the end.”
The comments, published in an Eagles news item on April 28, 2026, add fresh fuel to Patriots A.j. Brown trade rumors that have centered on whether Philadelphia would really be willing to move one of its top receivers. The piece said most attention had been on the 2027 NFL Draft, but Schefter wondered whether the sides might settle on a 2028 pick instead.
The gap in the discussion is what makes the story worth watching now: Schefter’s timeline is specific, but it is still just his read of talks that have not been completed. He is describing a deal that sounds close, yet the exact draft compensation remains unsettled, and that is where the real decision lies for both teams.
For New England, the question is whether Brown is worth the price of a first-round pick that could land years from now. For Philadelphia, it is whether openness to a move turns into an actual trade on the date Schefter named. If that happens, June 1 will not just be another calendar marker in the rumor cycle; it will be the day the Patriots tried to turn talk into a major addition.
