In the past 36 hours, Philadelphia Eagles fans have heard a few pieces of new information when it comes to the A.J. Brown trade situation.
None was more important, though, than when Ian Rapoport stated the two sides were "not particularly close" on a deal. At first glance, this could have raised eyebrows both within the Eagles and New England Patriots fan bases.
Former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer decided to chime in on the saga during an appearance on FS1's "First Things First," too, and his assessment of it all is quite interesting:
“I think there is a deal in place. I think this is just a little bit of white noise before we get to the finish line. I expect A.J. Brown to be a Patriot.
"I think this is maybe one last-ditch effort ... is it one last effort to say, 'hey, anybody willing to give a first rounder for A.J.? Last chance.'"
So, in Hoyer's mind, the deal is already agreed upon, and Rapoport's information is purely "white noise." That's contrary to what Rapoport said, but the information from Rapoport could also have been fed to him from Roseman's camp.
Howie Roseman is doing his best to find last-minute trade suitors for Eagles WR A.J. Brown
On the one hand, this is a take from a former Patriots quarterback who very likely leans heavily toward New England's side. And who could blame him? It's only natural.
But I would venture to take Hoyer's word on this one and agree 100 percent. In fact, it's not difficult to believe. To this point, everybody and their brother has known Brown will eventually be a Patriot. It is a foregone conclusion.
This isn't a knock on Rapoport whatsoever, either. If he was given information from Roseman's camp, he isn't doing anything wrong by reporting it. If it turns out to be false, that's not on Rapoport. That's simply Howie Roseman being a tactical general manager.
If the Patriots are indeed reluctant to give up a first-round pick, then the two sides already have a deal in place with the next-best return for Philadelphia. It might not end up being a first-rounder. We don't know for sure at this stage.
That's why it makes perfect sense for Roseman to put out extra feelers as a last-ditch effort. Rapoport's report is likely a ploy by Roseman to get other teams interested before he and the Patriots agree on a deal that may not be quite as good as the Eagles originally wanted.
We have previously heard of teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams being interested, but this late in the game, it feels more like the Patriots are the only real suitor. Could Roseman be doing his best to get the Jaguars or Rams to rethink things?
The Rams are the interesting ones, with Matthew Stafford getting a one-year extension through the 2027 season. This would be the type of move Les Snead makes to go all-in and shock the rest of the league.
Read more: NFL insider reveals 'grappling' amidst A.J. Brown trade saga
In all likelihood, I suppose we're just a couple of days from finding out our answer, though, huh?
Add us as a preferred source on Google