A.J. Brown June 1 trade, explained: How Eagles star’s contract impacts ‘likely’ blockbuster with Patriots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After plenty of speculation, the New England Patriots appear set to land one of the NFL's best wide receivers — but not quite yet.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning that Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown, the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, is "likely" to be dealt to the Patriots, but a potential trade wouldn't come until June 1.
New England is considered to still be "highly interested" in landing Brown. But due to Philadelphia's preferences for cap flexibility, the potential blockbuster may be on standby for over a month.
Here's why the Eagles likely won't be trading Brown to the Patriots until June.
The Eagles' interest in moving on from Brown has been no secret this NFL offseason, with the receiver's off-the-field storylines often overshadowing his production in 2025. While Philadelphia's staff, including Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni, has recently reiterated the same line to the media — "A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles" — the likelihood of a deal has remained high.
On Monday, Schefter didn't just confirm that the Eagles are still "open" to dealing Brown. He reported that New England is the favorite to land the receiver, still " highly interested" in a trade and willing to pick up conversations around June 1.
The Eagles remain open to trading AJ Brown, the Patriots remain highly interested in acquiring the star receiver, and conversations are expected to resume shortly on or before June 1, likely culminating in a deal, per league sources.As one source said about the Patriots'… https://t.co/00gLK5DEdhpic.twitter.com/JnCQF2wz7z
For Philadelphia, the possibility of trading Brown has long been considered to increase once June arrives. That is due to the Eagles' potential cap savings by waiting for the trade; they are set to take a $40 million cap hit when they trade Brown. NFL rules allow teams to split cap hits between 2026 and 2027 for trades after June 1. If Philadelphia trades Brown before June 1, then his full $40 million would count toward the Eagles' 2026 cap.
Nothing is set in stone, but if Brown is dealt to the Patriots in June, the Eagles will at least be preserving some financial flexibility from the deal.
NFL DRAFT RANKINGS 2026:QBs | WRs | TEs | EDGE | RBs
In 2024, Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension with the Eagles that lasts through the 2029 season. He will become an unrestricted free agent ahead of his age-33 season in 2030.
Brown carried a cap hit of $17.52 million in 2025 and will have a cap hit of $23.39 million in 2026, per Spotrac.
Here's a breakdown from Spotrac detailing how Brown's contract would impact both the Eagles' and a new team's books in a potential trade:
Trading WR A.J. Brown(after June 1st)New Team Cash2026: $29M (gtd)2027: $21M ($4M gtd)2028: $32M2029: $31MNew Team Cap2026: $7M2027: $10.9M2028: $17.8M2029: $23.6M2030: $53.5M (void)#Eagles Dead Cap2026: $16.3M ($7M saved)2027: $27.1M ($4M lost)