A.J. Brown on landing with the Patriots: 'Walking up the hill in the uniform, I was like, this is real'
Brown wanted New England to draft him in 2019. Seven years later he's there. Back in Philadelphia, the reaction to his exit was more complicated.
A.J. Brown's first practice as a Patriot left him a little stunned. 'Walking up the hill with the uniform, I was like, man, this is real,' he said. Asked if it felt like heaven, he said it was close. In Philadelphia, where he just spent four seasons, the reaction to his departure was more mixed.
Why does New England mean so much to Brown?
It's where he wanted to start. Brown revealed he had dreamed of the Patriots drafting him in 2019 and was crushed when they took N'Keal Harry instead. Seven years and a lot of production later, he's finally there: 'Better late than never. We're right on time.' That backstory explains the emotion of his first practice, and it frames the trade as something closer to a homecoming to a place he was never actually from.
What did he say about leaving the Eagles?
As little as possible. Brown declined to get into specifics about his Philadelphia exit, keeping it clipped: 'I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm here now. None of that stuff matters. What's done is done. Moving forward.' After four seasons, a Super Bowl run, and a relationship with Jalen Hurts that defined the Eagles' offense, the brevity was conspicuous. He's choosing not to relitigate it publicly.
How did Philadelphia react?
Not with one voice. The reaction at Eagles OTAs to Brown's departure was reported as mixed, the kind of locker-room split that follows when a star with a complicated tenure moves on. One Eagles lineman's reaction reportedly leaned toward relief that the situation was resolved. Brown was a dominant on-field presence in Philadelphia, but his time there came with public frustration over targets and role, and the range of responses reflects that.
What's the football reality now?
Brown becomes the No. 1 receiver Drake Maye never had, reunited with head coach Mike Vrabel. For the Patriots, the emotional homecoming is secondary to the on-field fit: a six-time 1,000-yard receiver giving an ascending young quarterback a target who commands a safety on every snap. For the Eagles, it's a cap-driven reset that recouped a first-round pick. Both sides are moving forward, in Brown's words, from a partnership that produced a lot and ended without much ceremony.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: A.J. Brown elated to join Patriots, 'moving forward' from Eagles
- ESPN: Reaction mixed at Eagles' OTAs following A.J. Brown's departure
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