A.J. Brown wanted to be a New England Patriot. He grew up as a huge fan of Tom Brady and the team, and he’s thrilled with the move from Foxboro after wanting out of Philadelphia. Our latest YouTube video explains why the decision made sense from an individual, statistical perspective.
Cementing a HOF career
You only get one NFL career. The Eagles won a lot of games and almost certainly would have continued to do so with Brown there, but things have changed from his first two years with the squad. After over 1,450 yards in each of his first two seasons with Philly, the offense added Saquon Barkley on their way to a Super Bowl title then ultimately was less creative in the passing game in 2025. With the Patriots? Brown will be the clear focal point on offense and should put up numbers.
Josh McDaniels factor
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels sounds very excited to work with Brown. He compared the All-Pro weapon to legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski in terms of being “a force” on the field. Look for McDaniels to use that talent every week.
Some notable first-year receiver performances with McDaniels as the play-caller include Randy Moss setting the NFL single-season in receiving touchdowns (23) while Wes Welker went for nearly 1,200 yards and eight scores for the 2007 Patriots; Brandon Marshall posting a 101/1,120/10 line in 2009; and Davante Adams having perhaps his second-best season with 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns in Vegas.
Stefon Diggs’ success
Even looking back to last year, veteran Stefon Diggs hit 85 receptions for over 1,000 yards at a little over 50 percent of the snaps with McDaniels as the OC. Brown is going to play a lot more than that, and he’s going to see plenty of targets. Diggs’ performance in a win over the Ravens—nine catches for 138 yards—last season might give a glimpse of the type of production we can consistently expect from Brown.
The Patriots and head coach Mike Vrabel know the ultra-talented receiver is going to want the ball. Don’t be surprised if they even get it to him in so-called “garbage time.” Expect more opportunities, more catches, more yards, and more touchdowns for AJB in 2026.
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