A major trade shook up the NFL timeline on Tuesday morning, just not the one New York Giants fans were hoping for. A.J. Brown is still obnoxiously hanging out in Philadelphia, while Miami Dolphins star receiver Jaylen Waddle is on his way to the Denver Broncos.
And somehow, it still feels like the wrong receiver got moved (insert negative Yelp review for the Broncos). And that's a massive bummer. Somebody get this A.J. Brown guy out of the NFC East. Please.
Related: Eagles' trade drama all but guarantees Giants emerge to top of the NFC East
With the Broncos out of the running for a blockbuster Brown trade, one couldn’t-be-more-obvious-if-it-tried destination remains for the three-time All-Pro second-team selection: the New England Patriots. You know what they say, there's no time like the present.
Broncos' Jaylen Waddle trade opens door for Patriots to steal A.J. Brown away from NFC East
Apparently Denver was a little overhyped as a Brown landing spot. The Athletic's Dianna Russini made it pretty clear they had their eyes on Waddle for a while, and once that deal got done, any leftover Brown speculation all but died on the spot.
New England, on the other hand, hasn’t gone anywhere. They're still as WR-needy as they've ever been.
The Pats still need a legitimate No. 1 receiver for Drake Maye, even after signing Romeo Doubs. And they’re one of the few teams that can actually pull a mega trade off. They’ve got the cap space, the motivation, and maybe most importantly, Mike Vrabel sitting there with ties to the 28-year-old from their time together in Tennessee.
The holdup is obvious. Philly isn’t just going to give him away (so annoying), and the asking price has been steep. There’s also the timing factor, with any real trade discussions likely coming closer to the draft or after June 1, when teams' cap situations are clearer.
And then the Eagles went out and signed Hollywood Brown.
That doesn’t guarantee the other Brown is gone, but it’s not exactly the kind of move you make if you’re fully committed to keeping him around. The countdown on his time in Philly just started. How did this champagne get here?
If the Patriots actually get this done, it’s so much more than just a win for the musket-men. It’s a direct hit to a hated rival that the Giants are trying to catch. Brown is still the essentially sole engine of that Eagles passing attack, and taking him out of the equation would instantly put an impossible amount of pressure on good-not-great Jalen Hurts to prove he's more than a by-product of Brown's awesomeness. Good luck proving that.
For the G-Men, it doesn’t get much better than getting rid of a guy who’s caught 26 passes for 423 yards and two touchdowns against them since becoming an Eagle. You really can’t overstate how many problems the star wideout hides. It’s time to find out what Philly actually looks like without him.
So go get your guy, New England. Fix your offense and do the rest of the NFC East a favor while you’re at it. Maybe it'll help us both meet up in the Super Bowl again.