NFL Coordinator Gets Honest on What A.J. Brown Brings to New England Patriots

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN spoke to an NFL coordinator who believes A.J. Brown will help the New England Patriots tremendously.

The Patriots acquired Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason in a blockbuster deal. 

"He changes the math on the field," an NFL coordinator said of Brown. "Defenses have to account for him, often with more than one body. He can still get yards after catch, and he wins 50-50 balls. That's something New England's offense didn't have last year."

Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season with the Eagles. The Pro Bowler enters next season with 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Eagles. He was heavily linked to the Patriots because Mike Vrabel coached him in Tennessee. The two are very close.

Since entering the NFL, Brown is fourth in the league in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.

The Patriots inherit Brown's contract, which runs through the 2029 season and averages $32 million per season, the seventh-highest in the NFL among receivers.

Brown wanted to leave Philadelphia for New England and he got his wish. The 28-year-old grew up a Patriots fan because of the one and only Tom Brady, who won six championships with New England. 

It will be intriguing to see how Brown performs in 2026 in Josh McDaniels' offense. The Patriots open the season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle.

Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting last season. Let's see if he wins the award in 2026 with Brown on the squad.

"It's hard not to get excited," Maye said. "What a player he is, and just right off the bat, what a great teammate so far. He's been a guy that you see on 'SportsCenter' the next day, making plays and scoring."

Maye finished the 2025 regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns while completing 72.0% of his passes.

Patriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the "Join" button at the top of the page to join our community for free.