The New England Patriots found their No. 1 wide receiver in A.J. Brown, but their blockbuster trade for the ex-Philadelphia Eagles star doesn’t come without risk.
Brown’s knee issues are well-documented, though he downplayed those concerns during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. Then, there’s the off-field drama. The 29-year-old made headlines several times during his Eagles tenure for voicing frustration with his usage in the offense.
Those are the biggest reasons some may consider the Patriots’ trade of a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to the Eagles an “overpay.” There’s no denying the elite talent, but there are a few red flags to be aware of as the A.J. Brown era begins in Foxboro.
So, what should Pats fans expect from their new No. 1 wideout? NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst Barrett Brooks joined NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition on Wednesday to share his perspective.
“I’m still mad that he’s gone,” Brooks said of Brown. “This is the type of player you’re getting: he’s got Hall of Fame ‘want to.’ He has Hall of Fame dreams, but you gotta give him a chance to fill that quota to keep him happy. If you can fill that quota and get the ball to him, he’s a great player, phenomenal player, a top-five receiver in the NFL. But once you don’t get that quota, he’s gonna let you know. So if you guys can get him that, he’ll be great for you.”
The Eagles initially acquired Brown from the Tennessee Titans in 2022. Brown went on to have the most productive seasons of his career in 2022 and 2023, and helped Philly to one Super Bowl title in two appearances.
Despite that success, Brown’s relationship with Philadelphia is complicated. It got to a point where Eagles general manager Howie Roseman couldn’t pass on the opportunity to part ways with Brown for the draft capital New England was willing to give up.
“The relationship went sour,” Brooks said. “At this point, he didn’t want to be in this system. The system couldn’t give him the quota that he wanted, meaning the receiving yards and everything else to get to the Hall of Fame. … We let a player go that’s unhappy.
“But at this point, I mean, Howie does it again. He’s got a first-rounder. (The Eagles) traded a first-rounder for him, then got another first-rounder back after a four-year rental. I think both sides ended up with what they wanted.”
After being obviously disgruntled with the Eagles offense last season, what should be the concern level that A.J. Brown will bring issues to the Patriots?
Brown was all smiles Tuesday during his first day of practice as a Patriot, telling reporters, “I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.” As he settles in for Year 1 in New England, the obvious question is, which version of the three-time Pro Bowler will the Patriots get long-term?
According to Brooks, it entirely depends on whether he’s satisfied with his role in the offense.
“He’s gonna give you one year of ‘heaven,’ like he said. He’s gonna give you that one year,” Brooks said. “He wants what he wants, you know what I’m saying? He wants, like I said, to be a great player. He believes that his participation in the offense will take him and his team to another level. He just wants the entirety of the team and himself to get better, to a level on which they could go to a Super Bowl, just as long as he’s getting what he wants during the process.
“Is he a guy that can open things up for Drake Maye? Can he be that number one for him? He’s all of that, and everybody loves him in the locker room. But sometimes when he’s by himself and alone, or he’s talking to somebody outside of the locker room — social media sometimes can be your own worst enemy. I think that’s what players right here in Philadelphia, they didn’t like, the owner didn’t like it, the organization didn’t like it. Those types of things kind of hurt a lot of players, not just A.J.”
For Brown, winning isn’t everything. He wants to be the reason his team is winning. That wasn’t always the case in Philly, and even when the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX, Brown was left dissatisfied.
“We won a Super Bowl, and during that Super Bowl run, we had a 2000-yard back, and he was not happy, and he didn’t act like he was happy,” Brooks said. “He’s gonna wear his emotions on his sleeve, so he wasn’t happy during that process. He loved the ring, he was a Super Bowl champion, but the manner in which we did it really didn’t fill his quota. He wasn’t too happy with it, but hey, he’s a Super Bowl champion.
“He wants to be more involved with the offense instead of them winning by maybe 10 points. He believes you get him involved with the offense, you could win by 20 points. That’s just his mentality, that’s the way he works. You’re not gonna find anybody that’s gonna work harder than him going into the season. You’re not gonna find anybody that works harder than him on the field when he’s happy, but it’s when he’s happy, though.”
The good news for Brown is that he shouldn’t have to worry about getting the ball in New England’s offense. He’s the unquestioned No. 1 option, and if the Patriots are going to make another deep playoff run, it’ll be because of his connection with quarterback Drake Maye.
You can watch the full segment with Brooks below:
