A.J. Brown trade would 'definitely' help Patriots, ex-teammate says

Zack Cox, Boston Herald on May 27, 2026

Published in Football

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FOXBORO, Mass. — One of the Patriots’ best players would love to see a trade for A.J. Brown.

Star defensive tackle Milton Williams, who played with Brown in Philadelphia, was asked after Wednesday’s organized team activities practice about the heavily rumored deal that would send the veteran wide receiver to New England.

“You see the noise, and you see it,” Williams said. “(He’s a) hell of a player. He can definitely help our team. But they don’t pay me to do that.”

Williams and Brown were teammates for three seasons with the Eagles, winning one Super Bowl and playing in another, before the former signed with the Patriots last spring. Previously, Brown played under New England head coach Mike Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans.

The 28-year-old has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons, including each of the last four. He would provide a major boost to a Patriots receiving corps that still lacks elite talent after swapping out Stefon Diggs for free-agent addition Romeo Doubs this offseason. Diggs’ 1,013 receiving yards in 2025 were the most by a Patriot since Julian Edelman in 2019.

“Great dude,” Williams said of Brown. “Monster on the field, great in the locker room, holding guys accountable and holding himself accountable. That’s everything you want in a player of his caliber.”

Quarterback Drake Maye said he’s trying his best to ignore the Brown rumors and work with the wideouts currently on the roster. That group consists of Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Jeremiah Webb and undrafted rookies Jimmy Kibble, Cameron Dorner, Kyle Dixon and Nick DeGennaro. Hollins and Boutte were not present for Wednesday’s voluntary OTA.

“I think it’s part of the NFL,” Maye said of the trade speculation. “They throw names around there around every team, depending on whoever looks best on the graphic in the jersey on social media. So I’m really just focused — we’ve got some new guys in here that we’re working with. I know there’s a lot of talk (about Brown), but if he ends up being on our team, great. What a great player. And if he doesn’t, we’ve still got to work these guys here. So it’s a balance, but I know he’s a phenomenal player.”

A trade for Brown could be finalized as early as next week, as moving him after June 1 would save the Eagles $7 million in salary cap space. Trading him before that date would add $20 million to Philadelphia’s cap, hence the months-long delay.

“We want to continue to improve the roster every opportunity that we get,” Vrabel said before Wednesday’s practice. “And when those opportunities arise — I don’t know. I know that the guys that we have here are working extremely hard. … I felt like (Tuesday’s practice) was really positive. It was good to see Romeo out there. It was good to see some of the new faces, some of the young guys. It was good to see Kyle Williams get some opportunities, and (Chism).

“So again, we’re going to look to strengthen the roster wherever we can, but it was also a great day to see guys that maybe didn’t get as many opportunities last year, especially Romeo, who wasn’t on our team.”