Dianna Russini lost her job at The Athletic after allegations surfaced about an affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. But her reporting on AJ Brown’s situation with the Philadelphia Eagles? That’s looking more accurate by the day.
Eagles fans weren’t happy with Russini long before the Vrabel controversy hit. She’d been saying for months that their superstar wide receiver wanted out – and that he had issues with quarterback Jalen Hurts specifically.
Throughout the 2025-26 season and after, Russini kept reporting that Brown was looking for a trade. The Patriots were at the top of his list, she said.
Philadelphia fans called her out repeatedly. They said she was making things up to create drama where none existed.
When the Vrabel allegations forced Russini to resign, those same fans celebrated.
New Reporting Shows Dianna Russini Was Right About AJ Brown All Along
Adam Schefter dropped a report Monday morning that changes everything. According to the ESPN insider, the Eagles are open to trading Brown – and yes, the Patriots are very interested in getting him.
The timing’s tricky though. Any deal probably won’t happen until June 1, when Brown’s $40 million salary hit gets split across two seasons instead of landing all at once.
“All the elements remain in place to make it happen, and Brown to the Patriots is still the likely outcome … just not during this week’s draft,” Schefter wrote. “Put the trade on hold just for now, but things will soon quickly warm back up.”
The Eagles remain open to trading AJ Brown, the Patriots remain highly interested in acquiring the star receiver, and conversations are expected to resume shortly on or before June 1, likely culminating in a deal, per league sources.
As one source said about the Patriots'… https://t.co/00gLK5DEdh pic.twitter.com/JnCQF2wz7z
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 20, 2026
Schefter’s report lines up almost perfectly with what Russini had been saying for months.
Does this vindicate Russini’s alleged relationship with Vrabel? Of course not – that’s a separate issue entirely.
But it does make Eagles fans look pretty foolish for insisting her Brown reporting was baseless this whole time. The three-time Pro Bowler appears to be heading exactly where she said he would, just on a slightly different timeline than anyone expected.