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Texans won't face three-time Pro Bowl WR A.J. Brown vs. Eagles following Patriots' trade

The Houston Texans will hit the road on Christmas Eve to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

One key asset from the Super Bowl squad, however, won't be there at the Linc for the showdown before Santa can visit the city.

After months of speculation, the Eagles officially traded three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots for a 2028 first-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the fifth-round selection will be the better of New England's two selections in that round.

The move has been expected since the early stages of the offseason, when Brown, 29, addressed his frustrations with the franchise during the regular season. Mike Vrabel, who drafted Brown out of Ole Miss while serving as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, made it clear that New England would be interested in adding him to the staff.

Since entering the league in 2019, Brown has been one of the more consistent weapons for Ryan Tannehill and later Jalen Hurts. In six seasons, he ranks fourth among all pass-catchers in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56).

Brown also joins Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase as the NFL's only other player with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons. He also helped the Eagles win their second Super Bowl title in 2024 while hauling in 67 passes for 1,079 yards.

Even though he won't finish his career with the Eagles, Brown left his mark on Philadelphia. He currently has the two highest single-season receiving yard totals in franchise history: 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 in 2023, surpassing both Terrell Owens and DeSean Jackson.

As for the Texans, they will face off against a slew of talented, but more so up-and-coming pass-catchers when they travel east this December. The Eagles planned for Brown's departure all offseason, including in the draft when they selected USC's Makai Lemon. In free agency, Philadelphia inked short-term deals with Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore while trading for Packers' No. 2 Dontayvion Wicks.

In terms of the AFC, Brown should become the second-best receiver in the conference over Pro Bowler Nico Collins while trailing only Chase. Collins, who still has two years remaining on his contract, is coming off his third 1,000-yard season with the franchise and has been the go-to weapon for C.J. Stroud since 2023.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Eagles WR A.J. Brown won't face Houston following trade to Patriots

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