As a disclaimer, before we even get started here, I'm a little mad at myself for even giving this the time of day.
Having said that, someone at WEEI in Boston — which is kind of like their WIP — reported from a source that the Eagles would try to trade A.J. Brown and a bunch of additional draft picks to the Patriots for the No. 4 overall pick if Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter fell that far.
Breaking News: A reliable source tells @FitzyGFY if Abdul Carter falls to the Patriots at #4 the Philadelphia Eagles could trade AJ Brown to New England to move up and take the star pass rusher pic.twitter.com/SO05sJB9zb
— WEEI Afternoons (@WEEIAfternoons) April 18, 2025
Transcribed:
"Earlier today, a little birdie with some really good intelligence — well-sourced phone call — came to me to offer this possible scenario. If somebody we wanted the Patriots to select very badly, Abdul Carter, were to fall to fourth, and I know this scenario is slightly unlikely… if he were to fall at fourth overall, how would you feel about a a certain team that recently won the Super Bowl calling up your New England Patriots in desperation and want of Abdul Carter and offering a certain wide receiver who has admitted that he loves New England and would love to play for the Patriots, and possible more selections, in a blockbuster draft day trade.
"That's right. I got a call earlier today saying that the Philadelphia Eagles really really really want Abdul Carter, and that they would consider — or rather that they are planning to call your New England Patriots on draft day if Carter falls to four, to see if Mike Vrabel would like a reunion of A.J. Brown and possibly more draft selections and compensation to come.
"So there you go, folks. There is your latest pick No. 4 rumor. It is a good one, and I thought that I would chum the waters today, for the pick No. 4 dialogue. A.J. Brown and more compensation possibly to the Patriots if Abdul Carter falls to four."
First of all, Good Lord, I loathe everything about the presentation of this "report," lol. This dude stretched "I heard the Eagles would like to trade for Abdul Carter, and are willing to part with A.J. Brown to get him" into an extremely annoying 228-word speech, complete with sourcing "a little birdie" and two mentions of "your New England Patriots." Is this what Boston radio is like, normally? If so, that is insufferable.
We can ignore that trading A.J. Brown makes no sense for the Eagles at all from a roster perspective, and just skip right to the part where the Eagles have a little under $12 million in cap space, per the NFLPA's daily salary cap report. Trading Brown would cause the Eagles' 2025 salary cap commitments to rise by more than $12 million, putting them over the cap and making it a procedural impossibility even if such a trade made any sense.
Apparently WIP picked up on the report and gave it credence by discussing with listeners whether or not they'd do that deal (really, guys?), leading to some of my readers asking if there was anything to it.
Anyway, WEEI did not present it as fictional discussion. They presented it as sourced info. So I did dig a little to make sure I wasn't missing anything from a financial perspective and can confirm that this report is pure fanfic, and poorly thought out fanfic, at that. Congrats on the engagement, though.
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