It is only a matter of time before we see A.J. Brown with the New England Patriots. By June 1, this might finally become a reality. Even though both the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles are all hush-hush about this, there’s no smoke without fire.

Former Patriot and Super Bowl winner Jason McCourty believes Brown will soon make the move from Philadelphia to New England.

“All the people that are on the inside and that they know continue to echo the same sentiment that it’s almost a done deal, that he’s going to be a New England Patriot,” McCourty said on the Up & Adams show. “It always feels like whenever something is said for that long, for about a month now, this has been stated, you always feel like something could potentially happen. … It does feel like he’s on his way out of Philadelphia.

An overwhelming majority of experts believe that A.J. Brown will be traded to the New England Patriots after June 1. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said that this situation is a “fait accompli” (literally, a done deal). It is also rumored that the Patriots will be trading for Brown with the Eagles in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2028 draft. All that’s left is for June 1 to come around.

The Eagles would be faced with a dead cap hit of more than $43 million if he is traded before June 1. Trading him after this date would allow New England to save $7 million. This is widely assumed as the only reason why Brown isn’t with the Patriots right now.

This offseason, the Patriots have been making a lot of moves that made it clear that Brown was no longer going to be a factor. They brought in WRs Elijah Moore, Hollywood Brown, and Dontayvion Wicks, all of whom are veterans. Rookie Makai  Lemon, who was picked in the first round by the Eagles, was the final nail in the coffin for Brown’s stay in Philadelphia. There’s no room for him here anymore.

Brown’s relationship with the Eagles soured over time, especially this past season. He had to be separated from head coach Nick Sirianni during a heated few moments during the Eagles-49ers game. After the Week 4 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Philadelphia couldn’t complete a single pass, Brown shared on X, “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw.”

Moving to New England is a great opportunity for the WR because of the existing connection with Mike Vrabel from their time with the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots need a reliable WR for Drake Maye, since Stefon Diggs was released. Brown is old, but has consistently been reaching the 1,000-yard mark in his career as of late. The Patriots wouldn’t mind spending big on him.

However, the June 1 deadline has allowed the Eagles time to potentially explore more avenues for Brown. A lot has gone down in some other teams, and they could also end up competing with the Patriots for the WR.

Chiefs and Jaguars considered dark horses in A.J. Brown sweepstakes

Breer has listed out two more AFC powerhouses – the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars – as possible landing spots for A.J. Brown.

“The Chiefs may be looking at it now and say, ‘We won’t be able to rely on (Rashee) Rice, so we need to bring in reinforcements,'” he said. “The Chiefs were one of five teams that A.J. Brown said, ‘Ok, I would go there’ to the Eagles. The Jaguars are an interesting one to consider, because (general manager) James Gladstone, (executive vice president of football operations) Tony Boselli, and (head coach) Liam Coen have been there now for a year-and-a-half, and they have taken big swings.”

Rashee Rice is expected to finish serving his sentence on June 20. But there’s also the issue of his knee rehab, which will be difficult to manage in prison. He went through a cleanup surgery to treat inflammation in the joint only a week before he was ordered to serve his time. And Rice hasn’t been on the field for some time, having been suspended in the 2025 season due to his legal troubles. With the Chiefs lacking a solid wideout for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, they will surely be looking around.

Jacksonville, on the other hand, has also been named as a sleeper team for A.J. Brown by Sports Illustrated. Travis Hunter is still recovering from his injury, and there were rumors that the Jaguars may not play the two-way player may not be on the offense anymore. This opens up space for Brown, who could possibly spark some life into this offense.

But like New England, both these teams would have to sacrifice a lot to get the Eagles to consider their potential offers.