It didn’t even take 24 hours for the New England Patriots to officially finalize their mega trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for A.J. Brown and get their new No. 1 wide receiver on the practice field at OTAs.
The first look of Brown catching back-shoulder passes from quarterback Drake Maye? Let’s just say these painful past few months of speculation were well worth it for Patriots fans.
The comments section of this social media post — from Patriots and Eagles fans — speaks for itself:
This is pretty 😍@DrakeMaye2 | @newbalance pic.twitter.com/RfthCcYoQw
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 2, 2026
Brown passed his physical on Tuesday morning and participated in what head coach Mike Vrabel described as a limited capacity as he gets acclimated to the team.
“We’ll have to monitor it,” Vrabel said, “just because he hasn’t been with us. So I think it’s important that we do that, but also important that he be out there and kind of see how we do things. I’m sure there’s 32 different stretching routines, 32 different individuals, and where everything goes. I think that’s an important process, too. Hopefully he can know enough to line up and take some snaps in some of the team periods as well.”
The Patriots just surrounded Drake Maye with all the support he needs for a Year 3 breakout
Much of the NFL world has balked at Maye’s electric 2025 season due to the Patriots’ easy schedule, but the encore this fall has a real chance to be epic.
You could feel the offense losing steam during last year’s playoff run, and it culminated with a forgettable showing against the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Fans can take solace in the fact that the team went all-out this offseason to put Maye in a position to finish the job.
The moves the Patriots made to reinforce the offensive line shouldn’t be glossed over. They addressed just about every weak point, including using their first-round pick on a legitimate left tackle prospect in Caleb Lomu.
New England's decision to trade starter Garrett Bradbury to Chicago created an opportunity for Jared Wilson to slide over to his more natural position at center. The draft pick compensation (a fifth-round pick in 2027) helped facilitate the Patriots’ trade with the Eagles for Brown.
The Patriots’ solid right side of the line remains intact with Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses, and the left guard spot should be well covered. Alijah Vera-Tucker offers elite upside with minimal risk, with Ben Brown behind him as one of the league’s better veteran backups.
It’s the changes to the skill position group that are getting the most attention, though, and understandably so. The Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart is absolutely stacked, now led by Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams. The team still has solid 2025 role players Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Efton Chism on the roster. All seven of those receivers would be valuable members in 2026, even if it's unlikely that all seven of them stick with the team through August.
And we haven’t even mentioned a tight end room that will feature tantalizing rookie Eli Raridon as a sidekick to veteran Hunter Henry.
It all starts with Maye and Brown, though. The Patriots are fully loaded and primed to make another deep playoff run this year, and the first clips of Brown catching passes in his No. 1 Patriots jersey rightfully has fans feeling all the feels.
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