A.J. Brown after two weeks in Foxborough: Drake Maye is 'a true leader of men'
The Patriots wrapped mandatory minicamp Thursday with their new No. 1 receiver raving about his 23-year-old quarterback, and teammates saying Brown already feels like he has been there for years.
Eleven days after the trade became official, A.J. Brown finished his second week of Patriots practices on Thursday and made it clear the partnership with Drake Maye is ahead of schedule. The receiver New England acquired from Philadelphia for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth called the connection a great start, and he went further than that on his quarterback: 'He's a true leader of men. It's crazy to see at a young age.'
What has Brown seen from Drake Maye so far?
Command, more than arm strength. 'The talent speaks for itself; he can make any throw, but I think what's more impressive to me is that he knows what he's doing,' Brown said after minicamp wrapped Thursday. He pointed specifically to how fast Maye processes before the snap: 'To be that young, and to understand the defense, and to understand every little check - the hots, the blitz, all those things so fast - is very impressive.' Brown turns 29 on June 30; Maye is 23 and entering his second season, the one our coverage has tracked as the year New England asks him to carry a real passing game. The on-field evidence showed up this week too, when Brown turned at the last moment to haul in a red zone touchdown. The two plan to keep meeting before training camp opens in late July.
How did Brown win over the locker room this quickly?
Partly with a moment that had nothing to do with a catch. 'His second practice, he had a drop on a go ball. And after practice, he wanted to do push-ups for the drop in front of the group,' offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. Head coach Mike Vrabel, reunited with Brown from their Tennessee days, said the receiver 'has showed up with a great attitude' and that he has enjoyed watching Brown's interactions with other players. By Thursday, Brown was leading the team's stretch line, a role he had declined on his first day of practice on June 2. Wide receiver DeMario Douglas put it simply: 'It feels like A.J.'s been here since the start. It all feels normal, like he didn't just get here.'
What does the rest of the roster make of him?
The defense might be the most enthusiastic. Safety Kevin Byard, who now gets to face Brown in practice instead of on Sundays, said 'you can tell, they're already developing that relationship' between Brown and Maye, and called the receiver 'a one-on-one nightmare for defenses.' Maye himself sounded like a quarterback who knows what he just got. 'It's hard not to get excited. What a player he is, and just right off the bat, what a great teammate so far,' he said. The young quarterback also noted the weight Brown carries before he runs a single route: 'He knows what it takes to win... just coming in with that stature, his ability, his size, and just the respect that you walk in there with.'
Where does this leave the trade, two weeks in?
About as well as New England could have drawn it up, with the obvious caveat that nobody has played a down that counts. The framework came together in late May, the deal was finalized June 1, and the early returns suggest the fit is real rather than theoretical. Back in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts said this week that nothing can take away what he and Brown accomplished together, a graceful close to one chapter while another opens in Foxborough. The next checkpoint is training camp in late July, when pads come on and the Brown-Maye connection gets tested against more than air. One sour note from Thursday: practice ended early after Maye and a defender fell to the ground and the quarterback got up slowly, a reminder of how much New England now has riding on him.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Brown-Maye connection off to 'great start' for Patriots
- ESPN: Patriots' first impressions of A.J. Brown at minicamp
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