Is this one factor holding up an A.J. Brown trade?

The Philadelphia Eagles continue to hold on to their disgruntled pass catcher.

A.J. Brown made it loud and clear that he's not happy in the City of Brotherly Love, and it's been more than one year since he's been tangled up in trade rumors.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, as many as four teams were involved in a potential trade for him in the past week, including the Los Angeles Rams. However, those talks have lost all momentum.

“I would say at various times over the last three days, looked like one thing was definitely going to happen and then it was clear that something else was going to happen,” Rapoport said. “Originally, I would say there were four teams that were interested [and] that Brown would really like to go to. In the end, probably two. The Rams were one, they looked into it deeply [but] ultimately decided it was not for them. They are essentially, as far as I can tell, out on the situation.”

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that Brown won't be traded. Per Rapoport, the New England Patriots are still all-in on Brown, but they may have to wait until June 1 because of his massive cap hit.

The Eagles may only trade A.J. Brown after June 1 

“The New England Patriots, who have had consistent dialogue with the Eagles and A.J. Brown, they are still in,” Rapoport continued. “Part of the problem here, and the reason why the cap number was such a big thing, is] if the Eagles traded A.J. Brown now, it would be $40 million that gets accelerated into their cap as dead money. But if they do it after June 1st, it's just $20 million. That's $20 million less; that is a lot of money.”

Even in a down year, Brown still hauled in 78 receptions on 121 targets for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Patriots signed Packers star Romeo Doubs, but they can still use another playmaker for the passing game. Also, given Brown's past relationship with head coach Mike Vrabel from their Tennessee Titans days, trade talks aren't going to go away any time soon.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman can be a tough bargain, and he's not going to give Brown up without a fight. That said, he may have no choice but to meet someone in the middle eventually.