The Philadelphia Eagles have finally traded disgruntled wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots.
The expected post-June 1 trade comes after months of rumors linking the two sides. Brown's future with the Eagles was sealed after the team drafted WR Makai Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Brown trade may not have been the most notable trade to occur on Monday, but it does have ramifications on the Detroit Lions' season. Despite Brown no longer being on an NFC contender, they won't be able to escape him just yet.
The Lions are set to play Brown's new team in Germany on November 15 in Munich, Germany.
Brown has played just three games against the Lions, once with the Tennessee Titans and twice with the Eagles. His teams are 3-0, averaging 33.33 points per game. The most recent of these games was the disgusting 16-9 performance by both the Eagles and the Lions, in which Brown was held to 49 yards on seven receptions.
Surprisingly, 49 yards isn't the lowest the Lions have held Brown to, as he had 44 yards in the Titans' 46-25 win in 2020. That game did have Brown's lone touchdown reception against the Lions. His best effort against the Lions came in Week 1 of 2022 -- his debut with the Eagles. Brown hauled in 10 catches for 155 yards in the Eagles' 38-35 victory.
That season began what would ultimately be an MVP runner-up season for his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, and a close Super Bowl loss. Brown himself even received an MVP vote that season. Now, he goes to a Patriots team led by the current MVP runner-up in Drake Maye.
Maye will be a passing upgrade from Hurts
Maye barely missed out on MVP last season and is coming off a Super Bowl loss of his own in just his second season. So far, Maye has shown to be a more explosive passer than Hurts, throwing for over 4,000 yards and over 30 TDs, both of which Hurts has yet to accomplish.
The Lions can't assume Rock Ya-Sin's elite performance against Brown last season wasn't the work of Kevin Patullo's offensive scheme or a strained QB-WR relationship. Brown will be with a new QB in a different and more proven offense run by Josh McDaniels, which will be a huge test for the Lions' corners and the secondary as a whole.
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As it stands now, the Lions' secondary should be healthier. CBs D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold did not play against the Eagles last season, and should both be ready to go entering 2026. Same for safety Kerby Joseph. S Brian Branch could also be back around that time, too. New additions like CB Roger McCreary and rookie Keith Abney II are also poised to make an impact, likely in the slot role.
Week 10 may be one of the first times in the 2026 season where the Lions' intended starters in the secondary are all in place, and they're absolutely going to need all the talent they can get against the Patriots' new star-studded duo.
Jamo Pro Bowl season loading?
Another under-the-radar development of the Brown trade is that it's one fewer Pro Bowl WR in the NFC. Brown is a three-time Pro Bowler, twice selected with the Eagles in 2022 and 2023. Although he wasn't selected each of the past two seasons, he was a part of that log-jam of worthy WRs.
Among those worthy WRs is Lions' Jameson Williams. Williams got off to a slow start last season, thanks partially to John Morton's play-calling. After head coach Dan Campbell took over, Williams went off. From Week 10 onward, Williams had 762 receiving yards, accounting for nearly 70% of his total yardage on the season. That even includes a zero-yard game against the New York Giants.
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With Brown now in the AFC, Williams' path to a first-career Pro Bowl selection becomes more manageable. Especially if he can maintain his play and usage from the second half of last season. His 84.7 yards per game during his second-half surge would put him on pace for 1439.9 yards across 17 games. That would've been good for the third-most yards league-wide in 2025.
All-Pro may still be a stretch. If Brown excels with Maye, it could prevent Williams and even Amon-Ra St. Brown from receiving All-Pro honors in a competitive field. But if the Lions' CB room shows up in Week 10 in Germany, they can help clear a path for an All-Pro season for at least one of the team's WRs and, more importantly, a Lions' victory.
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