The NFL Scouting Combine is always fertile ground for rumors regarding free agency and offseason trades.
In the case of Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, his couple years of seeming discontent in Philadelphia's offense -- which became a near monthly topic during a trying 2025 season -- has led some to try to connect the dots to a possible reunion with his former head coach Mike Vrabel in New England.
The Patriots head coach skated around any specifics while speaking to reporters Wednesday at the combine, but for what it's worth, he didn't shut down such a possibility by taking a general view of the trade market.
"I think that we'll look at everything that we can possibly look at to add to our roster," Vrabel said when asked about the Pats possibly checking on a trade for Brown, via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. "And again, there's a lot of things that go into trades. There's a lot of back and forth and taking on compensation. And so I'm sure there'll be a lot of opportunities for us to talk about trades, not only this week, but as we prepare and get closer to the draft."
Brown played the first three seasons of his career under Vrabel with the Titans. In that time, he made one Pro Bowl, finished third in the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and delivered two 1,000-yard receiving campaigns. He was a rising star heading into the final year of his rookie contract in 2022, but Brown's contractual wishes led Tennessee to ship him to Philadelphia in a stunning draft day trade.
Vrabel's road from there included two more seasons with the Titans before a one-year hiatus preceded his recent run to the Super Bowl helming the Patriots. Brown eclipsed 1,400 receiving yards and made a Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons with the Eagles. His 1,003 yards in 2025 marked his lowest since his final season in Tennessee, though, a result of a Philly offense too often stuck in the mud.
Brown recently reflected on his tutelage under Vrabel on the Dudes on Dudes podcast with Rob Gronkowksi and Julian Edelman. He said he hated the coach during his early years with the Titans, but came to appreciate Vrabel's coaching style and push to hold players accountable.
Vrabel similarly spoke of their bond Wednesday.
"I've watched him grow," Vrabel said. "I've watched him mature. I'm proud of him. Proud of the father that he is, proud of the husband, and that has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important. We reach out and text each other during the things that happen good to each other, and sometimes things don't go so well for the people that you're close with, and you text those as well. It's a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today."
A mutual warmth and appreciation for each other doesn't equate to a trade by any means, but New England could use a No. 1 wide receiver.
Quarterback Drake Maye narrowly missed winning Most Valuable Player while throwing to a collection of players who aren't nearly the caliber of Brown. Stefon Diggs returned to his 1,000-yard ways coming off a torn ACL, but he's now heading into his age-33 season. Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas are all supplementary wideouts who would benefit from someone like Brown, soon to be 29 and still in his prime, drawing attention.
Such hypotheticals assume the Eagles would even want to trade Brown in the first place.
Despite the noise, he has been massive for them. He's contributed 339 receptions for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns across four seasons. He caught a TD in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LIX to help Philadelphia close out the '24 campaign with a Lombardi Trophy.
Brown is also notably under contract through 2029, and general manager Howie Roseman doesn't seem too keen on testing out the addition-by-subtraction strategy when it comes to the Pro Bowler.
"At the end of the day, we're trying to get better, and it's hard to do that if you're just subtracting great players," Roseman said at the combine Tuesday.
Of course, reasonable compensation could sway any GM and help the Eagles improve in other ways. Plus, Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni adopted more of a "que será, será" approach when he also spoke on Tuesday, saying he can't guarantee anything past tomorrow.
It seems the only guarantee at this point is that rumors will continue to swirl around Brown as the offseason heats up.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: NFL Network and NFL+ will have live coverage of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine beginning Feb. 26.
