A.J. Brown Compares His First Patriots Practice to Heaven
The inevitable finally happened.
The Philadelphia Eaglestraded star receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for New England’s 2028 first-round draft pick and 2027 fifth-round draft pick. Brown addressed the trade by posting throwback photos of his younger self wearing Tom Brady’s famed No. 12 Patriots jersey, as Brown was a giant Patriots fan growing up.
Brown donned his own Patriots jersey - switching from No. 11 to No. 1 - at the team’s OTA on Tuesday. Patriots’ team reporter Evan Lazar relayed that Brown was “a full participant in positional drills and took a few reps during 11-on-11s.”
After practice, Brown didn’t mince words when describing his excitement about landing in New England.
“I caught myself one point in practice, wasn't paying attention because I was like, ‘Dang, I’m a Patriot,'” Brown said in his first press conference as a Patriot. “Just trying to take it all in as much as I can. Obviously, I got back to work quickly, but there's levels to it, and like I said, I'm enjoying it. Obviously, I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.”
Brown had worn No. 11 for his entire NFL career - an homage to his childhood hero, Julio Jones - and No. 11 is available on the Patriots. But Brown said that, while Julian Edelman “gave me his grace” to don No. 11 in New England, he has “so much respect and so much love for him [that] I’m gonna let that be, and I’m gonna create my own legacy here.”
Brown noted that he had worn No. 1 in high school and college.
To put into perspective how badly the Patriots needed a receiver of Brown’s caliber - and how wide-open the runway is for Brown to create a meaningful Patriots legacy - Stefon Diggs’ 1,000-yard 2025 campaign was the first 1,000-yard season by a Patriots receiver since Edelman in 2019.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Brown out of Ole Miss in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, the reigning AP NFL Coach of the Year, was the Titans’ head coach at the time and disagreed with the franchise’s decision to trade Brown to the Eagles in April 2022.
Over the past four seasons in Philadelphia, Brown appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one, and recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards every season. While Brown still posted 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns last season, it was his least productive year as an Eagle.
Now paired with quarterback Drake Maye and designated as the clear-cut No. 1 in New England, Brown figures to return to his dominant statistical output and elevate Maye to unimpeachable superstar status. At the very least, Brown should help Maye and the Patriots avoid a Super Bowl hangover after losing Super Bowl LX to Seattle in February.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 7:33 PM.