New England Patriots
“I literally looked at the sign today and said, ‘I’m a Patriot.’ I’m still in awe, and I’m grateful.”
A.J. Brown hasn’t stopped smiling since he first joined the Patriots in June.
Be it his childhood affinity for the Patriots, a clean slate after a dysfunctional end to his tenure in Philadelphia, or the potential rooted in playing alongside Drake Maye for the next few years, Brown is still pinching himself as he gets ready for his first season in Foxborough.
“Man, I’m super excited. I literally looked at the sign today and said, ‘I’m a Patriot.’ I’m still in awe, and I’m grateful,” Brown said. “I’m grateful. I’m excited. It’s a lot of opportunities out there. Go make plays and just play fast and have fun.”
Brown has looked the part of the WR1 that the Patriots envisioned he’d be when they traded a 2028 first-round pick to pry him from the Eagles.
Even though both Maye and Brown did not play in a preseason game this summer, Brown built a strong rapport with his new QB during training camp and competitive joint practices — making several highlight-reel snags while showcasing his versatile route tree.
After New England’s offense flatlined down the stretch during playoff games against strong defenses like the Chargers, Texans, Broncos, and Seahawks last year, the addition of an All-Pro talent like Brown should give Maye, Josh McDaniels, and the rest of the Patriots’ offensive personnel a major shot in the arm.
“It’s hard not to be excited… I feel like we have [players] that make my job easier and that make me look good,” Maye said Saturday of his wideout group. “I [thought] that with our skill group last year and I’m looking forward to seeing what this skill group does. … I think it’s another year for the guys that were here, in this system, to grow and be better.
“And the new guys that came in, that have been players in this league, I look forward to getting them the ball as fast as I can, as much as I can, because those guys can make plays. I got the best seat in the house when I throw it to them or watch them run.”
Mike Vrabel is familiar with Brown’s gifts out on the gridiron, given that he coached the gifted wideout in his first three years in the NFL with the Titans.
But now a few years removed from the last time he coached Brown, Vrabel admitted that he’s been impressed with how Brown has grown beyond his play on the field.
“I think the maturity has been probably what I have appreciated seeing on a daily basis. We had A.J. as a young player, continued that relationship personally, and I could sense that he was growing and making strides in that regard,” Vrabel said. “But having him here, seeing him each and every day, the way that he communicates and where he’s at in the training room.
“Just seeing his routine, his daily routine and the way that he talks to the young receivers or the way that he communicates with [wide receivers coach] Todd [Downing], Josh [McDaniels] or the quarterback, I would say that that’s probably a little different than the day-to-day person I saw as a young player.”
For Brown, his evolving label as an established veteran in a win-now Patriots locker room has been a rewarding change, especially when it comes to helping younger New England players find their footing this summer.
“I went to talk to Gabe [Jacas] because Vrabes was on him really tough, and I’d be sitting in my chair laughing just to see that process, just witness it all over again,” Brown said. “But I went to have a couple words for Gabe, you know, to keep him locked in. Hopefully my words helped.”
The Patriots didn’t bring in Brown to serve as a steady locker-room presence and sounding board for younger players.
But through the first few months of his time in New England, Brown is looking the part of an elite talent who is poised to lift the Patriots in numerous areas.
Helping Maye and the Patriots beat the Seahawks in an anticipated Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday night would be a welcome first step now that the calendar has flipped to September.
“Since I’ve been here, he’s been the same guy,” Brown said of his impressions of Maye. “I’ve yet to play a game with him yet, but just to understand the highs and the lows of practice — that he stays even-keeled. And that’s really important to do at that position, because everybody looks at him when things aren’t going good.
“So, I’m excited to see how he manages the game. It’s gonna be loud, and his communication and just his poise, because it’s gonna be extremely loud and to the point where it may turn to white noise. That’s how loud it’s gonna be. So, I’m excited to see him play and excited to play with him.”
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