The Patriots have spent most of the offseason getting treated like a team with a ceiling, not a contender. Even after representing the AFC in the Super Bowl, the chatter around New England has leaned cautious, with plenty of the skepticism tied to a tougher schedule in 2026. But the strangest part is this: the same team that wasn’t exactly picked to do much in 2025 is now being doubted again, and those projections only carry so much weight.
That’s what makes Bart Scott’s take stand out. The former Ravens and Jets linebacker, who has built a reputation over more than a decade in media as one of New England’s loudest critics, is suddenly talking up the Patriots.
And the reason he gave is the kind of twist that would make a lot of fans do a double take: A.J. Brown.
On ESPN’s “Get Up,” Scott went all the way in on Mike Vrabel’s roster, arguing that Brown changes the conversation for the Patriots and even makes them the team to beat in the AFC.
“I think he does [make them the team to beat in the AFC]. When you talk about what happened in the Super Bowl, they were able to take away their receivers because they didn't have a true No. 1 receiver that can separate and win the 50-50 ball.
When you think about A.J. Brown, his frustration was that Jalen Hurts would not put the ball at risk.
He wouldn't give him the opportunities to make the contested catch. I think you talk about Drake Maye, how successful he was in throwing the ball 20 yards or more.
I think he led the league. I think you know he'll put that ball up for AJ Brown.
He'll make those catches more times than not.”
That quarterback piece is the part that has been easy to miss in a lot of the offseason noise. Brown’s frustration in Philadelphia, especially during the 2025 season, was tied to the way Jalen Hurts handled the passing game. Brown is built to win downfield and through contact, but Scott’s point is that he didn’t get enough chances to do that with the Eagles.
With Drake Maye, the expectation is different. The Patriots already saw enough in minicamp and OTAs to suggest Maye is willing to challenge defenses vertically, and that matters for how Brown’s first season in New England could unfold. If the ball is coming out with more ambition, Brown’s game has a chance to show up in a way it didn’t last year.
That’s why the Patriots’ upside looks bigger than the outside noise suggests. The roster has a new layer now, and Brown is the kind of addition that can change how opponents have to defend them. Still, New England keeps getting pushed to the side in preseason conversations.
If that sounds familiar, it should. The Patriots have long been at their best when they’ve had something to prove, and this latest round of skepticism gives them another reason to lean into that.
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