Why Patriots haven't traded for A.J. Brown yet

Why Patriots haven’t traded for A.J. Brown yet originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The date June 1 has been in a lot of headlines and blurbs relating to Philadelphia Eagles‘ WR A.J. Brown lately.

The speculation has centered around the fact that once June arrived, it’d be easier for the Eagles to trade Brown — seemingly to the New England Patriots.

That’s true. The Eagles can do much better in how the dead money impacts their salary cap by waiting until this new month to trade Brown.

The deal hasn’t happened yet as of Monday morning on June 1, though, and there’s a reason why. It isn’t just about the calendar flipping to this date.

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Why haven’t the Patriots traded for A.J. Brown yet?

The key date isn’t actually June 1.

The salary cap rules apply differently “on or before June 1.” So really, the path has to get past June 1 to June 2.

A trade, if it’s going to happen, would first become official on June 2, not June 1.

Technically, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, paperwork can be filed beginning at 4:01 p.m. on June 1.

There could be a trade mostly agreed to already between the Eagles and the Patriots, and if so, it’s just been a matter of being patient until the NFL calendar reached the correct moment for them to make it happen.

Brown will surely have to pass a physical, but as long as that goes off without a hitch, it seems like things are set to happen soon enough.

Of course, the rumors and speculation could be wrong, and maybe there’s more work to be done to reach any kind of agreement. But it sure seems like it’s coming soon.

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