The New England Patriots have consistently been linked to trade speculation surrounding Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason.
That chatter continued this week ahead of the NFL Draft, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the most likely scenario will be Brown being traded to the Patriots after June 1.
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When asked about the most recent report on Tuesday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel stuck to the same approach the team has maintained this offseason when asked about Brown.
“I think we are going to continue to try to strengthen our team,” said Vrabel, who claimed he did not see the report. “The first focus is going to be on Thursday night and making sure that we get that right, and then we’ll focus on Friday. Saturday is always an important day.
“Just to continue to build our roster. Eliot [Wolf] and Ryan [Cowden] will have numerous conversations with different teams, but our first focus is gonna be on the draft.”
New England is currently set to pick 31st overall Thursday night. Vrabel said the team remains open to trading up, trading back, or sticking and picking.
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Any decision with that pick is not expected to be influenced by a potential Brown deal later in the offseason.
“We’re going to approach every draft with the same mentality. And that’s get the right players in the right spot to be able to draft the best player available that fits who we are, how we want to play,” Vrabel said.
“The versatility, the skillset, the ability to grow. There’s also measurable to this game. There’s height, weight, speed. There’s a bunch of variables. But our conversations with other teams are gonna be surrounded around doing business on Thursday or Friday or Saturday.”
The addition of Brown or another wide receiver would make one on the Patriots current roster expandable. Due to fit and contract status, Kayshon Boutte is the top candidate as NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the 23-year old’s name has come up in trade talks this offseason.
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Vrabel confirmed Boutte is not in New England for the start of the Patriots’ offseason workout program, but would not acknowledge whether it was current or trade related.
“Don’t really try to have a sense of anything — why guys don’t come. It’s voluntary, but I will tell you that Kayshon has communicated, which I texted him and told him that I respected him for doing so,” Vrabel said. “But there are different reasons why guys aren’t here, or they’ll miss a day. That’s their prerogative. It’s voluntary.
“We have a few days that are mandatory. We just want to make it a product that they feel like is worthwhile being here. That’s important.”
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