Mike ReissMar 31, 2026, 12:54 PM ET
- Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
PHOENIX -- With speculation continuing to swirl that the Eagles could trade wide receiver A.J. Brown, with the Patriots a top suitor, New England coach Mike Vrabel didn't rule out the possibility Tuesday.
"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," Vrabel said at the NFL's annual meeting.
"So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we're going to try to do."
On Monday, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman fielded several questions about Brown's future with the team and responded with the same answer each time: Brown is a member of the Eagles.
One reason speculation on a possible deal continues to percolate is the financial implications.
Philadelphia is financially incentivized to wait until at least June 1 to officially strike a trade. The dead cap hit is more than $40 million if it trades Brown before then, compared to around $20 million after.
Furthermore, Brown played for Vrabel with the Titans from 2019 to 2021. On Tuesday, speaking generally and not specific to Brown, Vrabel noted that past connections like that are valuable to him.
Earlier in March, the Patriots released leading receiver Stefon Diggs, creating a hole near the top of their depth chart. They signed former Green Bay receiver Romeo Doubs as a potential go-to option for quarterback Drake Maye, but as Vrabel noted Tuesday, the team remains open to bolstering the position.
At the same time, Vrabel mentioned other returning receivers on the roster -- a group including Kayshon Boutte, DeMario "Pop" Douglas and 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams.
"There's a lot of guys that we're excited about," Vrabel said.
As for replacing Diggs' 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, Vrabel noted it's too early to say how that production might get redistributed.
"It's literally about targets, the efficiency," he said. "We all appreciate what Stef did and I really loved being able to coach him -- the efficiency in which he was able to catch the ball was impressive.
"So whether that's Drake's accuracy, ball location or Stef's ability to catch it, that's something that we'll have to recreate. I'm not worried about the catches and the overall production. I think we can recreate that. We just have to be very mindful that the efficiency in which we throw and catch it is important."
