Patriots' Kevin Byard stokes A.J. Brown trade rumors by sending blunt message to Eagles star

Offseason work is underway for new #Patriots S Kevin Byard 🔥👀

(📸 @Jholt_athelite | @reilyrogers IG) pic.twitter.com/ntUBssa1OE

— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) March 20, 2026

Byard is now doing his best to get Brown hyped about possibly going to New England.

"We actually trained together in Nashville, so I'm going to be the first one to say, 'A.J., I would love for you to come join us in New England,'" Byard said.

Due to the fact that they've been training together, Byard is very well aware of all the rumors that have been floating around about Brown this offseason.

"Trust me, I see the rumors, I see everything going down," Byard said.

The three-time Pro Bowler then looked directly at the camera and sent a blunt message to his friend.

"A.J. Brown, come on to New England, buddy."

Although Byard wants to reunite with Brown, he did admit that he doesn't actually know if that's going to happen.

"Honestly, I don't know how it's going to go down," Byard said. "I don't really know what's going to happen, but I would love to get the gang back together. Come on to New England, help us try and win a Super Bowl."

The Patriots released Stefon Diggs earlier this offseason, so if they were able to add Brown, that would fill a gaping hole that they have at the No. 1 receiver spot.

"I've see the work he's been putting in this offseason, A.J. is ready to go, I'm hoping that it kind of works out," Byard said.

During a pre-draft press conference this week, Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf was asked about the possibility of making a trade for Brown and he definitely sounded open to the idea of potentially pulling off a blockbuster trade for the Eagles' star.

"As far as players on other teams, going to keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster, whether that's with the player you mentioned or other players," Wolf said Monday.

Although Wolf is open to a deal, his counterpart in Philadelphia, Howie Roseman, doesn't seem to feel the same way right now. The Eagles general manager was asked this week about possibly trading Brown and he gave a short five-word answer.

"A.J. Brown is an Eagle," Roseman said Tuesday.

That echoed what he said at the NFL's Annual League Meeting back on March 29.

"I understand that there's interest in the A.J. Brown story. I, unfortunately, don't have a home under a rock," Roseman said, via ESPN. "But my answer to any question on A.J. Brown is A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles. From my perspective, anything you ask me about A.J. Brown, I'm going to go right back to that answer."

Roseman might be against a trade, but actions speak louder than words, and the Eagles seem to be bracing for the possible loss of Brown. The Eagles signed two receivers this offseason -- Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore -- and they added Dontayvion Wicks last week after making a deal with the Packers.  That's three receivers in six weeks. With those additions, the Eagles have put themselves in a spot where they would have more than enough depth on the roster to withstand the potential loss of Brown.

When Brown got traded from the Titans to the Eagles in April 2022, that happened at the NFL Draft, but don't look for that same scenario to unfold this year. If the Eagles are going to trade Brown, it would make a lot more sense to wait until after June 1, at least from a financial standpoint. The Eagles would take a dead cap hit of $43.4 million if they traded Brown before June 1, according to Over the Cap, but that number would drop to $16.4 million if they trade him after June 1.

Basically, everyone should get ready for six more weeks of A.J. Brown speculation, because if a trade does happen, there's a good chance it won't go down until early June.