The New England Patriots have a big game against the Green Bay Packers coming up. With that in mind, it seems receiver A.J. Brown won't be ready to suit up. He was listed as a DNP on Wednesday's injury report with ankle and knee injuries.
ESPN's Adam Schefter added doubt not only this week but also about Brown's future in New England because of his knee injury.
"It flared up… I know it says ankle and knee, but it’s the knee. The knee held him out last week, and the knee is threatening to hold him out this week. It’s a knee that I think that raises some concerns as to how long he’s gonna keep playing here in New England, and producing at a high level," Schefter said on Get Up.
It's not ideal that his knee is forcing him to miss time. But the fact that Schefter said there are concerns about how long Brown will stick with the Pats has to be upsetting.
Patriots may already regret trading for A.J. Brown
Reports say Brown had a degenerative knee, but the Patriots' team doctors still signed off on a deal. That knee problem was an issue for other teams this offseason, and it's already popped up in New England.
The Pats traded a 2028 first-round pick for Brown, wanting a true No. 1 WR for Drake Maye. Yet, it has been anything but that in 2026. He missed four games with a high-ankle sprain, but now he's likely to miss his second straight game with his knee.
This knee injury won't go away. Instead, he will have to find ways to manage it. It's never great to have a player deal with a knee injury, but it hurts even more when it's your star receiver, whom you just traded for.
A.J. Brown's knee injury creates an unsettling Patriots dilemma
Receivers have to constantly cut, plant, and change directions to be at their best. And Brown's knee being an issue is worrisome. The Ole Miss product will also turn 30 in the offseason, and that's an age when teams believe players begin to decline.
Not saying that will happen to Brown, since he's one of the league's top receivers when he's healthy. Still, there are concerns inside the building about his knee. The Pats believed he would be a staple on their offense for years to come, but now they doubt how long he'll last and how impactful he'll be.
The Pats' bye week is in Week 11. New England may give Brown the next two games off (Packers & Lions), so he can rest that knee for four weeks and build for a second-half push. The only thing they can do is try to manage the workload and see if that helps.
Regardless, Brown's knee is clearly a hurdle that New England will need to overcome. There's no telling how things will pan out, but there's a chance that knee injury will affect how his Patriots tenure plays out in the present and long term.
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