Fox Sports has ranked A.J. Brown of the New England Patriots the eighth-best WR in the NFL.
New England Patriots star A.J. Brown was ranked the eighth-best WR in the NFL by Fox Sports.
Brown is one spot ahead of Nico Collins of the Houston Texans and one spot behind George Pickens of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Patriots acquired Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles in a blockbuster trade. Brown is Drake Maye's new No. 1 wideout.
"Brown's numbers weren’t quite what you’d expect from an elite receiver in 2025," Fox Sports wrote. "But at the same time, he was … fine. In fact, it says something about Brown that everyone thought the sky was falling in a season when he posted 78 catches, 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in a season when he played 15 games.
"Bottom line: Brown is a physically dominant receiver, as adept at using top speed and agility as he is at using his strength. Drake Maye just got paired up with the best receiver he’s played with in his life. And it’s likely that in Josh McDaniels’ offense, Brown will once again see his production explode."
Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season with the Eagles. The Pro Bowler enters this season with 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Eagles.
Brown was heavily linked to the Patriots because Mike Vrabel coached him in Tennessee. The two are very close. Brown also grew up a huge New England fan because of Tom Brady.
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.
"Just giving more chances to him," Maye said about Brown. "You see with the ball in his hands, what he can do -- intermediate, short, deep. I'm not going to shy away from it, that's how I play. I'm going to keep going at it. It could be the fifth play in a row, I'm going to give him the rock."
The Patriots open the 2026 season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks. It will be fascinating to see if Maye and Brown connect for a TD in that contest.
