Kevin Byard Sounds Off on Potential AJ Brown Reunion With Patriots

New England Patriots fans are seemingly counting down the days until June 1 - that's when the team is expected to trade for Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.

The Pats have been the frontrunner to land Brown for weeks. The Eagles have also braced themselves for Brown's departure by trading for Dontayvion Wicks and drafting USC's Makai Lemon with their first-round pick in the 2026 draft.

New England became a logical landing sport for Brown with his former head coach Mike Vrabel taking over the Patriots last season. But there's another member of the team who also has a familiarity with Brown - Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard.

The Middle Tennessee State alum was asked on Tuesday about potentially reuniting with his former Tennessee Titans teammate, to which he admitted he hasn't spoken with Brown about the rumored trade but he'd welcome the perennial 1,000-yard wideout with open arms.

"I try to stay out of that part of the business," Byard said. "… We train together in Tennessee, so it's not like I haven't [said] ‘Hey, A.J. what's [up],‘ you know what I mean? But no, we honestly haven't talked about it directly. I don't know what's the situation there.

"I hope it can work out, I hope he can come here and play for us, but that remains to be seen. … If we're able to get A.J., obviously he's an incredible talent. Somebody that I played with, he's a true No. 1 receiver in this league, so that'll be awesome to pair up with him again."

Byard and Brown were teammates in Tennessee from 2019 to 2021.

Given they play on opposite sides of the ball, they went up against each other in practice quite often, so if anyone knows just how good Brown is, it's Byard.

If a deal goes down after June 1, the Patriots are expected to send at least a first-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for Brown, who's totaled 339 receptions, 5,034 yards, and 32 touchdowns in four seasons in Philly.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 9:25 PM.