The 2025 NFL season officially kicked off on Thursday night, as the Super Bowl Champion Eagles welcomed one of their most bitter rivals, the Cowboys, to Philadelphia. All eyes were on the game, which was chippy from the very beginning, as impressive pass rusher Jaylen Carter was ejected very early on.
That seemed to set the tone of the rest of the night, with several instances of fights breaking out before and after the lightning delay. But beyond that being one of the more notable parts of the evening, Patriots fans couldn't help but notice their dream receiver was seemingly ignored all night long.
Former Titans receiver and player Bill Belichick infamously passed on to draft N'Keal Harry instead, A.J. Brown didn't register a single catch in the first half, prompting an immediate reaction from New England fans, who had long desired that Mike Vrabel's former WR1 be traded to the team over the last few years.
Those hopes skyrocketed this past offseason because of Vrabel's potential influence, to no avail, of course. Seeing the same issue that occurred with the Eagles occur in Week 1, it's no surprise that Patriots fans took to social media to share their dream of seeing Brown in a New England jersey.
A.J. Brown's lack of inclusion in the Eagles' offensive game plan has Patriots fans dreaming again
Because it has been an issue over the last few years, even leading into the Eagles' Super Bowl run last year, the idea of Brown wanting out of Philadelphia doesn't feel too far-fetched, even if it is incredibly unlikely.
That didn't stop Patriots fans from sharing their doctored images of the receiver in a Patriots jersey, though.
— Andrew Guindon (@NestPgs) September 5, 2025
Some fans took it even further, reminding everyone that Brown grew up a Patriots fan, which has been very well-documented, as is his devastating reaction on draft night when the team chose Harry instead of him.
Many chose to post a photo from Brown's Instagram when he received a Julian Edelman-signed jersey in the mail, another painful reminder of what could have been if Belichick had avoided one of the biggest mistakes of his New England tenure.
#noticing pic.twitter.com/rTZ4BRrbBB
— Drake Maye Lover (@drakemayeloverr) September 5, 2025
Fortunately for Brown, he didn't go the entire game without a reception. It took until there was just 1:44 seconds remaining for him to make his first catch, which was good for eight yards and helped inch the Eagles closer to sealing up the close win.
That still doesn't change the fact that he remained mostly unused throughout the night and could be a pattern that continues this season, despite assurance from the coaching staff that he is and will continue to be a significant part of their offense.
Given how things have looked before, there's a good chance that if Brown remains mostly uninvolved, it won't take long to see him express his displeasure again. That's the only opportunity that the Patriots will have to get even remotely close to trade talks for him, and even then, if it were to happen this year, the Eagles would have to be okay with taking on over $16 million in dead cap.
So, although Patriots fans might have wanted to revisit the biggest dream trade of the last few years and their hopes increased about the possibility of it becoming a reality, it's far from that and should probably be left in the past for good.