The NFL offseason just got weirder. New England’s blockbuster trade for former Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown is finally sinking in, mostly because the league just dropped the first official photos of the veteran receiver sporting his new Patriots threads. He is wearing number one. No more number eleven.
One photo shows him clutching the pigskin. Another shows him staring through his visor. It is real now. Drake Maye has a new target, and the Patriots, fresh off a Super Bowl run, are trying to reload.
Naturally, the internet had thoughts. Some good. Some brutal.
“Man looks like he just got drafted by Kohl’s Sporting Goods,” one user sneered on social media.
Others were more optimistic about the swap. “A.J. Brown as the new No. 1 in New England? Patriots just got their guy,” a fan posted. Another simply wrote: “Drake Maye just got another weapon.”
Then came the doom-mongers. “RIP New England,” read one blunt assessment.
This is a massive gamble for both sides. Last year in Philly, Brown started 15 games, hauling in 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven scores. Good numbers on paper. But rumors of locker room friction and discontent over his role poisoned the well, making a trade inevitable.
Now, he gets a clean slate in Foxborough. He has to prove he is still an elite threat, not just an expensive headache. We will get our first real answer on September 9 when the Patriots host the Seattle Seahawks.
