And then there was one. The Buffalo Bills have likely bowed out of contention for an A.J. Brown trade after trading for D.J. Moore in their own, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This means the New England Patriots are the frontrunner to land the frustrated receiver. This also means the Philadelphia Eagles could simply retain him amid his boiling anger with his usage. What if that doesn’t have to be the case, though? 

There are still some receiver-needy teams out there that could force the Eagles to trade Brown if it’s not to the Patriots. Whether it’s a contender or a rebuilder, there are more than enough options out there if the Patriots choose not to pursue Brown this offseason. 

Cleveland Browns

Yes, this would be a massive downgrade for Brown, going from a Super Bowl contender to a perennial rebuilder. But it would be in the Browns’ best interest to find receiver help anywhere they can get it. They have one of the cheapest receiver rooms in the NFL and even lower production value. Jerry Jeudy is the team’s current No. 1 receiver and he’s known more for his drops than big plays. 

The quarterback is more important than any other position on the field, but if the quarterback is throwing to practice squad players, that doesn’t exactly help the situation. The Browns have to invest in the receiver room and trading for A.J. Brown would actually give them No. 1 target and get this offense in a position to start looking respectable. 

Denver Broncos

For as good as Cortland Sutton is, he’s just not that elite receiver that’s going to take this offense to that next level. Bo Nix is mediocre but makes up for his shoddy quarterback play with his mobility. Getting a receiver like Brown would give him the security blanket he needs to stay in the pocket long enough to make the play. Sutton is a great option, don’t get me wrong; he just isn’t quite what Nix needs as a No. 1 option. 

Denver was able to ride an elite defense to the AFC title game. This season, the offense has to pick up the slack. That starts with getting better weapons for Nix. Brown won’t necessarily make this offense better, but getting another weapon will absolutely help open this offense up in ways it hasn’t the last two years since Nix took over as the starting quarterback. 

Carolina Panthers

This offseason should be extremely productive for the Carolina Panthers if they want to build on reaching the playoffs last season. Much of the last couple of seasons has been about finding out if Bryce Young is worth building around. After leading the Panthers to the playoffs last year, it’s now about giving him the weapons to make this offense competitive. Tetairoa McMillian is good and will be the future star for this offense, but he needs help. That’s where a trade for Brown comes in. 

The Panthers receiver room isn’t great, and Xavier Legette isn’t quite turning out to be the receiver the Panthers hoped. So adding Brown gives them temporary insurance that this offense won’t have any lapses. At the same time, they also need to improve their running game. 

Chuba Hubbard has been solid and Rico Dowdle did well in a temporary role. They’ll need to make sure their running backs are just as impactful in 2026.

Tennessee Titans

Why retread with A.J. Brown after trading him to the Eagles in the first place? Well, because this is a different regime and Cam Ward needs help eminently. They have some solid youngsters in Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, but Calvin Ridley isn’t exactly the best option when it comes to primary targets. Brown, well, he’d be an immediate upgrade. The Titans could certainly find help elsewhere, but adding Brown isn’t a bad idea. 

This team is vastly different from the first time Brown was around so while it would be going to a former player, it would be a very different version of this team than before. It could work, it could also go belly up. The Titans probably aren’t interested in going after Brown, but that doesn’t make it a bad idea if they do.

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