The New England Patriots may be asking the impossible of AJ Brown, because he joins the team in a funk. Will his big play ability shift this run first offense?
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Swallowed up in the whole Myles Garrett saga from last week was the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles finally, officially pulled the trigger on trading A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots. It’d been rumored for months, so the news wasn’t surprising, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a hugely impactful move for the 2026 NFL season.
First, the particulars: Brown and a 2027 5th-round pick will be going to New England for the Patriots’ 2028 1st-round draft pick.
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For the Patriots, they add one of the best (former best?) receivers in football to help Drake Maye and company build on their progress from last season. Many felt that New England had been carried by Maye, and the rest of the offensive unit was lacking. Brown helps address that concern in a major way, immediately becoming the team’s top pass catcher.
The question is how good is Brown currently. Last year was a debacle, though the final numbers look reasonable. Was that because he was mentally checked out or physically lost a step? We won’t know for sure until winter approaches, but the Pats bet on the former…which also isn’t a great look. If he had a bad season because he essentially didn’t want to have a good one, what does that say about his future in New England?
New England Patriots Add AJ Brown
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It is hard to trust Brown to be an All-Pro receiver again, but I still think the trade was worth the gamble. Last year, Stefon Diggs was the only pass catcher who topped 800 yards for the Pats. Tight end Hunter Henry caught 60 balls. The third-best receiver for NE was Kayshon Boutte. Between him, Mack Hollins, and DeMario Douglas, the Patriots had a slew of mix-and-match, part-time contributors.
Diggs is now gone, replaced by the solid if unspectacular Romeo Doubs. We were shaping up to see a somewhat identical receiver room until Brown was added. The big-bodied former Eagle pushes everyone else down the depth chart ladder and creates a legit corps of pass catchers.
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The A.J. Brown from 2025 was underwhelming and often disappeared during games. He’s only 28 years old though. I tend to lean toward him being fed up with Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia offense as a whole. I expect Brown to be a Pro Bowl-level player again in ’26, especially with the elite-armed Maye throwing his way.
For the Eagles’ side of this, it’s even easier to understand, yet still leaves me feeling sour. Either Brown quit on this team or has lost a step. Either way, from their point of view, getting a future 1st for that player is great, even if it’s expected to be a late 1st in ’28.
And yet, Philly still kind of needed Brown! The offensive load will fall on the slight shoulders of DeVonta Smith (6’0″, 170) and slightly less slight shoulders of rookie Makai Lemon (5’11”, 195). The offense seems destined to go even heavier into the run than it has in the past, perhaps relying on even more two-tight end sets with Dallas Goedert and rookie Eli Stowers.
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What it comes down to is the Philly offense is going to need a lot of production out of two rookies now that Brown is out of the picture. The infrastructure is good enough where that is possible, but is it a likely outcome?
The alternative of bringing Brown back seemed like a non-starter for both parties, so I like where the Eagles landed with this one. Nevertheless, as an outsider, the Eagles offense feels less imposing than it has in recent seasons.
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It seems highly likely that Brown took his foot off the gas in Philly, probably because everyone else did too. Or perhaps he was the catalyst for the entire team seemingly wrapped up in a Super Bowl hangover that lasted all year. Whether he was the leader or just one of the gang, Brown did not play his best football in 2025 and it feels like he did so by choice. Here we go again!
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I feel like I’ve heard this story before about AJ Brown, but perhaps it’s simply a common wide receiver storyline. This gives New England one full year, or at least until Thanksgiving, before they too must deal with the nonsense. Brown was on an excellent team, albeit one that was run-first on offense and leaned on its defense. Sound familiar? The Patriots were even more run-first and more reliant on their defense. Will this change in 2026?
You can try to argue that Maye is better than Hurts, but I’m not buying it. They are at worst equal, with differing strengths. Assuming Maye continues to improve, which Brown is hoping to be a huge part of, then New England can lean less on its defense and push teams around on offense. The fact that last season was the first year in which this team played very well means I simply need to see it happen again before I’ll believe it’s sticking.
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There’s nothing to inherently dislike about the Patriots adding Brown, but I feel like this will work out better for the Eagles than for New England. Everything came together just right for the Patriots last season and the defense truly kept the team together along with Maye. A small step back is to be expected for such a young team, especially after overachieving to such a high degree in 2025. Brown will be a difference maker in September and October, but let’s check back in early November to see what the truth actually is.
Meet our Sports Writers:
Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.
New England Patriots Trade – This Is The End
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