The Patriots are “tracking” to acquire Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in a post-June 1 trade, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday morning.

This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since Brown has been linked to the Patriots as far back as last year when Mike Vrabel was hired as head coach. Vrabel was the Titans’ head coach when Brown was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, and the two men have maintained a close relationship.

Schefter reported that the Patriots and Eagles have discussed a deal but neither party is willing to commit to it until after June 1, when Brown’s contract becomes easier to trade because his $43 million in dead money would then be split over two years. If Brown was traded before the draft, $20 million would be erased from their salary cap. If Brown is dealt after June 1, they would save $7 million in cap space.

The deal will likely include future draft picks. Schefter wrote that “acquiring additional picks in 2027 and 2028 is even more enticing to” the Eagles.

Schefter curbed his report by writing, “Another team could always emerge, and there’s a lot of time between now and June 1,” but he closed it off strongly with, “as of now, multiple sources say they believe Brown and the Patriots are likely to become a tandem.”

Brown would become Drake Maye’s new No. 1 receiver, a player who’s topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons.

The Patriots had interest in trading for Brown dating back to the start of the offseason. His addition would vault them near, if not back to, the top of the AFC after a surprise Super Bowl run last season. Brown also would fill a longstanding need as an outside receiver who can draw extra attention and create explosive plays.

Brown, 28, would leave Philadelphia after being displeased with his production and the performance of the Eagles’ offense, which employed five different coordinators in as many years. He caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Brown set career highs with 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022, then a personal-best 106 catches in 2023. He made the All-Pro second team both years and in 2024 when he caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown during a Super Bowl win.

Prior to being traded to Philadelphia during the 2022 draft, Brown developed a strong bond with Vrabel, who reportedly objected to the trade as the Titans’ head coach. The two remained in contact, as Vrabel explained during his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

“I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature. I’m proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important,” Vrabel said. “We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those, as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today.”

Brown is under contract through 2029. The Eagles signed him to a three-year contract extension in June 2024, making him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL at that time.

In New England, the 6-foot-1, 226-pounder would top a wide receiver depth chart featuring free-agent addition Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and 2025 undrafted rookie Efton Chism III. The Patriots could include a wide receiver in their trade for Brown. Their expected addition of Brown lessens their need for a wide receiver in the 2026 NFL draft, though it’s still a position they could address if the right player is available.

Brown has been open about his childhood love of the Patriots, even as a Mississippi native who went to college at Ole Miss. He revealed early in his career that he cried after the Patriots did not draft him in 2019, when they instead opted for N’Keal Harry with the 32nd overall pick.

Brown eventually came off the board early in the second round at No. 51 overall. He led the Titans in receiving as a rookie with 1,051 yards and reached the AFC championship game under Vrabel. Brown recently admitted he did not like Vrabel early in his career, though he came to appreciate his coach’s demanding, hard-nosed style.

“(Vrabel) is the type of coach who’s going to call on you in the meetings,” Brown explained on Julian Edelman’s “Dudes on Dudes” podcast. “He’s going to make sure you’re staying engaged and go over the keys of victory of the week. You better know the keys to victory like the back of your hand.”

Vrabel deflected this offseason whenever he was asked about a potential Brown trade, saying at the NFL Annual Meeting in late March, “We’ve talked about this since last January. We’re going to try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition. So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do.”

Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf recently said, when asked about Brown, that the Patriots were “going to keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster, whether that’s with the player you mentioned or other players.”

The Patriots will welcome the Eagles for joint training practices this summer in Foxboro.

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