A.J. Brown is joining the team he grew up rooting for and couldn't be happier about it.
"My reaction was super excited to play for my childhood team," Brown said Tuesday after landing with the Patriots via trade this week.
The long-anticipated trade from the Eagles to New England was consummated shortly after 4 p.m. ET on Monday, at which point Philadelphia could lessen some of the dead money involved as a post-June 1 transaction. But for Brown, this has been an even longer time coming.
"Obviously I know this ain't heaven," Brown said, "but it's close to it."
Brown grew up in Mississippi but became a Patriots fan as a kid who wanted to mimic his older cousin, who was a big Patriots fan. During the 2019 draft, Brown thought there was a good chance the Patriots might select him at the end of Round 1. Instead, they selected another receiver, N'Keal Harry, who last played in the NFL in 2023.
Brown was crushed. He imagined himself playing with Tom Brady and was devastated when the Patriots passed on him, saying he needed to escape his draft party and go "in the closet to try to gather myself because I was just disappointed." The Titans selected Brown in Round 2 that year, 51st overall.
"It was a tough night. It was a tough night. I joked about it earlier, (the) Patriots (have) been breaking my heart over the years," Brown said. "Obviously, I wanted to play with Tom. That didn't happen, but everything happens for a reason."
Brown leaves the Eagles after tensions boiled over last season. He appeared frustrated with his role on a struggling offense and didn't appear to have as close a relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts. Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension with the Eagles in 2024 and helped the team to a Super Bowl LIX victory, but the relationship eroded to the point where a trade was deemed necessary -- with the Eagles needing to wait until June 1 to avoid a massive salary-cap hit -- for all parties.
The Patriots won't face the Eagles this season but are scheduled to play them in Philadelphia in 2027 (the teams will also hold two days of joint practices this August). The Titans are slated to play in Foxborough that same season.
Brown told New England media that he didn't want to get into the details of his Philly drama and that "none of that stuff matters" now that he's a Patriot. But earlier, he that he and Hurts were "not as close as we once were," although he added that "there's no bad blood" between them.
"There's actually still a lot of love," Brown told Taylor. "I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he wants to accomplish. I didn't truly understand why our friendship became the center of everybody's attention when it came to football.
"Nothing happened. Nothing happened. People just grow apart."
Brown might not have wanted to get into further detail about his relationship with Hurts, but he sounded more than happy to talk about his new quarterback, Drake Maye.
"He can make any throw. He's very poised," Brown said, noting how Maye commanded a team meeting earlier on Tuesday. "It says so much for a young guy to know what he's talking about, No. 1, and to lead and to be the voice of this team.
"When I heard that, I was like, 'Wow that was impressive.' Obviously, I heard great things about him. But that part alone tells me a lot about him and how much he loves his job, about how he studies and everything."
Brown also cherishes his relationship with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, even if it didn't begin so well when he first entered the NFL in 2019.
"My first impression? Oh, I did not like (Vrabel). I can say that," Brown said. "But what it's grown into? He's a great guy. He's a great guy and he coaches hard. He holds his guys accountable. I'm not saying that lightly. He really does. He leads this group, leads the team, and honestly I believe that he's daring somebody to challenge him. He still thinks he can play."
Although Brown is less familiar with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the two have already spoken, with Brown saying that McDaniels has "given me a whole bunch of ideas."
Asked what kind of role in the offense Brown would need to feel fulfilled, he said: "I'm fulfilled now."
Brown is even turning back the clock on his uniform number, going from No. 11 in Tennessee and Philly to No. 1 in New England -- the number he wore at Ole Miss and previously. Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman gave Brown his blessing to wear his No. 11, but Brown was feeling nostalgic.
"Just getting back to my roots, you know? ... It's a match made in heaven going back to my roots and it feels good," Brown said.
Brown's arrival in New England happened more than six years after he first envisioned it. It was longer than either he or Patriots fans wanted to wait, and even June 1 took a while to arrive. But now that it's here and Brown is settled in New England, he's ready to go.
"To the fans, it's time. Better late than never. We right on time," he said. "I'm excited, and I can't wait to get out there in Gillette Stadium and hear the crowd and make plays and have fun."
