A.J. Brown feels “close to” heaven with Patriots

New England wasted little time integrating A.J. Brown after the trade from Philadelphia, posting one of his early catches and sending him into individual drills. Brown described the moment as emotional—he was in his car when the Patriots drafted N’Keal Harry—a

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A.J. Brown was already in his car by the time the Patriots selected wide receiver N’Keal Harry with the No. 32 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Seven years later, on June 2—the first official day of Brown’s employment with the team he grew up rooting for—he talked about how he spent that night. He returned to his bedroom and retreated to the closet to compose himself, still carrying the disappointment from draft night.

“That was a tough night,” Brown said June 2.

The long-rumored trade that finally brought him to New England had been completed on June 1, sending a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to Philadelphia. The Patriots, working within salary cap stipulations, made the move more palatable.

Brown’s fandom was passed down from an older cousin, even though he grew up in Mississippi. Now he’s playing for his childhood team and reunited with head coach Mike Vrabel, his first NFL coach from their time in Tennessee.

Vrabel, who recalled that original draft-night feeling, said Brown’s reaction had stuck with him. “I think when we drafted him he was like ‘Oh, I wish the Patriots drafted me,’” Vrabel said.

Practice started lightly for Brown. He didn’t do much team work, but he participated in individual drills. The Patriots’ social-media team posted a quick highlight of the day: a one-handed catch Brown made in from quarterback Drake Maye.

At one point, Brown caught himself not paying attention during practice because it hit him, in real time, that he really was a Patriot.

“Obviously, I know this ain’t heaven,” Brown said. “but it’s close to it.”

The Patriots see familiar physical traits
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels compared Brown’s style to a former New England star, saying the receiver’s physicality—playing with the presence of someone “with greater measurements than 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds”—reminds him of tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“Maybe the closest thing I’ve seen is Gronk,” McDaniels said. “This is a big guy.”

Wide receivers coach Todd Downing. a longtime Vrabel lieutenant. has known Brown since the Titans drafted him in the second round. 51st overall. in the 2019 NFL Draft. Downing watched him improve before becoming his playcaller as offensive coordinator in 2021. after serving as tight ends coach for Brown’s first two NFL seasons in Tennessee.

Downing said that history gives him a clearer sense of Brown as a person and competitor. “I think that helps in navigating (being) demanding and crossing a line,” Downing said. “I’m just fortunate to know the person and to be able to work with a player who wants to continue to get better.”

Downing also described how he plans to keep Brown moving through receiver responsibilities. He teaches all the receiver positions to shift them around the formation and preserve versatility, and Brown will go through the same education as everyone else.

Brown’s role, Downing said, depends on understanding the “why” as much as the “what.”

“Explaining what he has to do is one thing. Why he has to do it is another,” Downing said. “I think sometimes players with that type of football IQ can kind of go rouge at times, if they don’t understand why they’re supposed to do what they’re supposed to do.”

Downing said Brown isn’t bashful about asking questions, so he has to show up with answers.

He said Brown has improved both physically and mentally since Philadelphia. Downing pointed to things like the way Brown sets up releases off the line of scrimmage, and he said those changes match the receiver’s drive to keep learning.

“It’s cool to see him continue to grow,” Downing said. “Just in the couple of conversations I’ve had with him today, I anticipate him staying hungry to keep improving.”

Brown largely stays quiet on Philadelphia exit
For all the attention around the trade, Brown didn’t spend much time on his exit from the Eagles. The move came after four productive seasons in Philadelphia and two trips to the Super Bowl, including one championship.

“I’m not here to get into the details. None of that stuff matters,” Brown said.

Still, Brown did speak more broadly about the transition in a 25-minute interview posted June 2 with NBC’s Maria Taylor. He expanded on his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts, admitting the duo are “not as close as we once were.”

“I believe that’s fine. There’s no bad blood,” Brown told Taylor. “There’s actually still a lot of love. I still love him to death.”

Brown also said he didn’t understand why their friendship became a public focus.

“Looking back on it, we haven’t been as close as were (for) a couple years now, but that didn’t stop anything,” he said. “We still competed. We still led the team.

“Nothing happened. Nothing happened. People just grew apart.”

Vrabel won’t dig into the past
Vrabel did not appear concerned with any details of Brown’s “divorce” from Philadelphia. He said the priority is whether anything from that separation follows him into the locker room.

“I think what’s the most important (thing) is that those things don’t carry over into the locker room,” Vrabel said.

“I’m not trying to figure out what happened in Philadelphia,” Vrabel added. “I’m focused on what’s going to happen here and try to get him acclimated to what we do and how we do it.”

The Patriots are also looking at who Brown is beyond his production. Brown has been second-team All-Pro in his first three seasons with the Eagles. has surpassed 1. 000 receiving yards in six of his seven pro seasons. and has 32 touchdowns over the past four years. along with five career playoff scores.

Vrabel said adding Brown the player was one step, but so was adding Brown the person and teammate.

“Somebody we also feel strongly about as a person and a competitor and teammate,” Vrabel said.

A meeting with Vrabel brought back old memories
During a meeting earlier Tuesday, Vrabel’s needling of second-year left tackle Will Campbell transported Brown back to his early NFL days. He said it marked the start of realizing he was around Vrabel.

“That’s when it kind of started to set in that I was around Vrabes,” Brown said.

Brown said Vrabel coached him hard during his first few years in Tennessee, and he didn’t have “any fuzzy feelings” about it—yet that pushed them toward a mutual respect and ultimately a reunion.

“He holds guys accountable,” Brown said of Vrabel, “I don’t say that lightly.”

Brown, for his part, made a point of earning responsibility the way New England wants it earned. He turned down a chance to lead warmups during practice because he wants that to happen organically, without forcing anything, by working hard and showing up.

Number choices and the weight of expectations
Julian Edelman gave Brown his blessing to wear No. 11, but Brown opted for No. 1. He said it was his number from youth ball through college at the University of Mississippi. The number has a different history in New England—it’s also been worn by Hurts in Philadelphia. while the Titans retired No. 1 in honor of Warren Moon.

Brown is 28, and this is his eighth pro season. Asked how much he has left in the tank heading into it, his answer matched the mood of someone who believes the next step is coming.

“You’ll see,” Brown said.

A.J. Brown New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles Mike Vrabel Drake Maye Josh McDaniels Todd Downing Jalen Hurts N’Keal Harry NFL trade salary cap Rob Gronkowski