A.J. Brown isn’t easing into his New England era quietly. He’s walking into it with a new quarterback, a new offense and a very public compliment for Drake Maye before the Patriots even take the field for Week 1.
Brown, who joined New England on June 1 after Philadelphia sent him to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection, is set to make his debut Wednesday night against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Kickoff for the Super Bowl LX rematch is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, and for the first time in a regular-season game, Brown will line up as Maye’s top target.
Ahead of the opener, Brown sat down with former Patriots captain Devin McCourty on NBC and came away sounding genuinely fired up about his new quarterback. “He’s such a great guy.
He always takes the blame for every little thing. I’m like, ‘Drake, it’s OK.
It’s not that deep.’ He’s incredible!
Fun to play with. I can’t wait,” Brown said.
That praise landed fast and hard online, especially with Eagles fans still sorting through the fallout from Brown’s departure after four seasons and a Super Bowl title in Philadelphia. Some responses to the clip were blunt, with one saying, “Don’t say we didn’t try to warn you, I’m just saying…” Others accused Brown of polishing his image and wondered whether the compliments would hold up once the games start and the targets are spread around. A few even projected trouble ahead, suggesting New England could miss the playoffs or that Brown would eventually get frustrated if he wasn’t seeing double-digit targets every week.
The move to New England also brought Brown back together with head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached him for his first three NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Brown had already made clear in camp that the Patriots fit felt natural, and he grew up rooting for the team. After the trade, he called landing in New England “close to” heaven.
The quarterback situation is a big reason this partnership has drawn so much attention. Maye is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns and finished second in MVP voting. Brown’s 2025 production with the Eagles - 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games - was his lowest yardage total in four years in Philadelphia, but it still gives New England a true No. 1 receiver with size, speed and the ability to win downfield.
That’s the piece the Patriots were missing after releasing Stefon Diggs. Brown gives Josh McDaniels’ offense a different kind of weapon, and Brown said during camp that the system already moves him around to create mismatches. Pair that with Maye’s arm talent on deep and intermediate throws, and the fit starts to make sense quickly.
There’s also a cleaner dynamic here than the one Brown left behind. His relationship with Jalen Hurts had cooled by the end of his time in Philadelphia.
In a June interview with Maria Taylor, Brown said they were “not as close as we once were” but insisted there was “no bad blood” and that “people just grow apart,” per the New York Post. Hurts later acknowledged the distance in a GQ interview, answering “Clearly” when asked if they had grown apart.
The Patriots and Eagles did see each other in August, when the teams held joint practices in Foxborough before a preseason game. They won’t meet in the 2026 regular season, but Brown said afterward that “it’ll always be love,” according to AP News.
For now, the attention is on how Brown and Maye look when it counts. Brown’s comments suggest the chemistry is already building, and Patriots coaches have said the connection is developing quickly. Whether that turns into something lasting or just the first rush of a new pairing will start to come into focus under the lights in Seattle.
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