May 21, 2026
George Walker IV/Imagn Images
Are there any other NFL teams that can step in at the last minute with a good trade proposal to keep A.J. Brown and Mike Vrabel from reuniting?
There is a public expectation that on or around June 1, the longtime A.J. Brown trade saga will come to an end when Howie Roseman trades his three-time Pro Bowl wideout and Super Bowl champion to the Patriots.
But NFL Insider James Palmer made a salient point recently when appearing on the "Up and Adams" show hosted by Kay Adams when he said Roseman would feel no pressure to make the trade immediately and will take his time to gauge the rest of the NFL to see if any other teams are interested in getting into the sweepstakes.
Sometimes, teams that weren't interested in trading for a player at one point in the offseason could become more interested after the early stages of free agency and the NFL Draft are over. Sometimes, teams that were interested but weren't offering enough could decide at the last minute to upgrade their proposal.
With that in mind, we've decided to list NFL teams not named the "New England Patriots" that could potentially get involved in a trade for Brown as the June 1 deadline nears:
Jacksonville Jaguars: There's already been some buzz during the offseason that the Jags are a) looking to move on from Brian Thomas Jr., and b) have interest in A.J. Brown. Honestly, the Jags would have a better chance of repeating as AFC South champs if they could have both, but Brown and Thomas are similarly physical receivers who play the "X" spot. They could make it work, though, if they wanted it to keep Thomas. Jags GM James Gladstone is extremely aggressive and came to Duval after several years with the Rams working under Les Snead, who doesn't care about first-round picks.
Washington Commanders: The Commanders are so desperate for a playmaker opposite aging Terry McLaurin and to support QB Jayden Daniels that they've been rumored to be just waiting for the 49ers to cut Brandon Aiyuk so they can pounce on the talented-but-troubled wideout who's coming off a major knee injury and hasn't played since Week 7 of the 2024 season. Roseman wouldn't deal Brown to the Commanders unless they paid a major division-rival tax and gave the Birds the best offer.
Los Angeles Rams: Personally, if I were the Rams, I'd just sign free agent Stefon Diggs and give up nothing in draft compensation. But Rams GM Les Snead, as mentioned, is one of the NFL's most aggressive GMs and admitted to having talks with Philly regarding Brown. NFL Media's Mike Garafolo recently suggested the Rams could reemerge as contenders in the coming days. A trio of Puka Nacua-Davante Adams-A.J. Brown would be an absolute cheat code, and Roseman knows that. The Eagles and Rams play each other Week .
Pittsburgh Steelers: By now, you probably know the Steelers were just about to draft USC WR Makai Lemon before the Eagles swooped in – pun intended – at the last minute with a trade ahead of Pittsburgh to take Lemon, who was literally on the phone with the Steelers when it happened. The Steelers have excellent perimeter wideouts in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman. They really need a receiver who can work the middle. Brown can do that, but he's not a full-time slot. Still, if anyone can figure out how to make it work with three talented WRs using bunch and trips formations, new Steelers HC Mike McCarthy can.
San Francisco 49ers: The Niners added future Hall of Famer Mike Evans and veteran slot Christian Kirk this offseason but also lost reliable WR3 Jauan Jennings in free agency and, as mentioned, are expected to part ways with Brandon Aiuyuk. That leaves them with the aging Evans and third-year pro Ricky Pearsall as their top two options. Evans missed significant time with injuries last year and Pearsall has only played 20 games in two years because of injuries. Kirk hasn't had a really productive season since 2023 and TE George Kittle is coming off an Achilles tear that could delay the start of his season. The Niners are in win-now mode, and Brown would give them some serious firepower.
Green Bay Packers: Without a first-round pick in 2027 from the Micah Parsons trade, the Packers would have to get creative if they wanted to trade for Brown. But they lost leading WR Romeo Doubs in free agency and traded depth piece Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles, leaving them with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden as their top three. That's actually a pretty good top three assuming Golden makes a leap in Year 2, so I wouldn't bet the house on Green Bay trading for Brown.
Chicago Bears: After trading D.J. Moore to the Bills, the Bears cleared the way for second-year pro Luther Burden to get more time alongside third-year WR Rome Odunze. But Chicago has almost depth behind those two. A trio of Brown-Odunze-Burden to pair with pass-catching TE Colston Loveland would make the Bears instant favorites to repeat as NFC North champs and could get HC Ben Johnson to rip his shirt off again. One thing about the Bears under GM Ryan Poles: They've been very aggressive in the trade market. EDGE Montez Sweat, LG Joe Thuney, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Jonah Jackson all arrived there via trade, as did former Bears WRs Chase Claypool and Keenan Allen.
Los Angeles Chargers: Just imagine what Brown could do in a Mike McDaniel offense? [Insert Eagles OC search joke here]. The Chargers won 11 games each of the past two seasons but only scored 15 total points in their two Wild Card losses. Even with McDaniel as their OC, they need more from a WR group consisting of slot WR Ladd McConkey, disappointing 2023 first-rounder Quentin Johnston, and 2025 second-rounder Tre' Harris. The Chargers have a ton of cap space. They could make it happen if they wanted it to happen.
Miami Dolphins: There's really no reason the rebuilding Dolphins should trade draft capital for a receiver who a) got upset when his annual playoff team didn't win enough to satisfy him, and b) wants to be a more featured piece in a more prolific passing game. Nothing about new Dolphins QB Malik Willis and his current arsenal of WRs – Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, Malik Washington and rookie Chris Bell – screams prolific passing game and nothing about Miami screams winning team that would make Brown happy. So why list them here? Because the Dolphins do weird things, and owner Steven Ross loves star power to rival the South Beach lifestyle. Jimmy Kempski put the Dolphins on his list of potential trade candidates way back when, and I basically co-sign whatever Jimmy writes.
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