Recently, the New England Patriots opted to shake things up by releasing wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The move ended a one-year partnership between Diggs and the Patriots that saw the team defy expectations by making it all the way to the Super Bowl, where they were ultimately blown out by the Seattle Seahawks.
The Patriots now have a gaping hole at their number one wide receiver position, and one name that has been floated as a potential replacement is that of disgruntled Philadelphia Eagles star wideout AJ Brown. Recently, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shed some more light on what exactly it might take for the Patriots to pry Brown away from the Eagles via a trade.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are worth watching for reasons beyond A.J. Brown. Philly is asking for a steep price for Brown — one executive said it wants a first- and second-round pick for him. Perhaps that changes. New England is in the mix,” reported Fowler on ESPN.com.
A first and second-round pick is certainly a steep price to play for Brown, who has seen a bizarre lack of targets over the last couple of seasons in Philadelphia, and has not been shy about voicing his displeasure about that fact publicly, making cryptic social media posts and even reading a book on the sidelines during a game.
In the NFC wild card round against the San Francisco 49ers this past season, Brown drew heavy boos from the home fans in attendance when he made multiple crucial drops, including one in the waning moments in the fourth quarter, that contributed to the Eagles' surprising loss in that game.
Still, when he's on, Brown is one of the elite wide receivers in the game today, and would give Drake Maye far and away the best downfield target he's played for with the Patriots.
