The New England Patriots have had quite the offseason when it comes to headlines, and the one they made today is the least surprising of the offseason.

The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to trade star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots for a first-round pick in 2028 and a 2027 fifth-round pick. We can all remember the video of Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s reaction when the Tennessee Titans traded Brown to the Eagles while he was coaching the Titans.

Pure disbelief.

Now, he gets Brown back on his team, who will take over the No. 1 wide receiver role the Patriots needed desperately.

It’s not a surprising move and has been anticipated for months across the NFL. It doesn’t mean grades aren’t for both teams now that the terms are official.

Patriots grade: B

The Patriots went 14-3 last year and secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. The team had one of the easiest schedules in the 2025 season; for 2026, that changes. New England has the sixth-hardest schedule according to opponents’ win percentage from last season. The jump is a main reason why many consider the Patriots a regression candidate for 2026.

Wide receiver was a clear need for the Patriots despite quaterback Drake Maye’s 2025 season. The team added former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs to the receiver room, but still lacked that dominant receiver on the outside.

Brown brings exactly that, and Maye will be the best quaterback he’s played with in his career. He’s only gone for over 1,100 yards twice in his career, and it came in back-to-back seasons with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as his quarterback. As exciting a player as Brown is, he’s struggled to be a statistically consistent wide receiver in this league. That shouldn’t concern any Patriots fan, because Brown still is the exact weapon this team needs.

In 2025, Brown recorded 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns — his lowest yardage total since the 2021 season. The Patriots had to decide whether it was the Eagles’ lack of production over the middle of the field or Browns’ ability — they concluded it was the situation Brown was in.

Compensation-wise, the Patriots didn’t give up their 2027 first-round pick, which is crucial for this process. The 2027 class is expected to be one of the best; keeping that pick helps a ton. The reality is this team is in a Super Bowl window. They want to win now, and younger talent doesn’t help; proven talent does. Brown is excellent at that, and he should elevate this offense to another level in 2026.

Eagles grade: B+

It’s a solid return for the Eagles, as Brown clearly wasn’t in the team’s long-term plans. An extra first-round pick gives general manager Howie Roseman more ammo to improve his team in other areas. Roseman prepared for this moment by selecting Makai Lemon in the first round of this year’s draft and trading for Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks.

Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith is set to take over as the clear No. 1 receiver, which is exciting in his own right. Let’s not forget Smith won the Heisman in college and has proven in his career that he can be a No. 1 receiver in an offense.

Philadelphia has gotten younger at the receiver positions and flipped an aging player for a first-round pick. Sounds good when you look at it through that lens. The move isn’t surprising at all; it’s been expected for months. It would’ve helped if the Eagles had gotten the 2027 first-round pick from the Patriots, but they didn’t. They were still able to get a first-round pick, which is tremendous value for a player coming off a down year.