New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown always wanted to play for the storied, serial Super Bowl-winning franchise. After being traded to New England from the Philadelphia Eagles, he’s now getting a chance to prove himself.
On Sunday, though, in New England’s 26-19 win over the New York Jets, Brown only had 3 catches for 27 yards and no touchdowns. The effort might have left Brown feeling disconsolate, but a Patriots legend had a kind word to share.
Patriots’ A.J. Brown Receives Words of Encouragement
Patriots legend Julian Edelman was watching New England’s game and saw Brown having a tough time on the field.
After the game, though, Edelman headed online and shared a thought about Brown. Edelman wrote, “AJ rusty. He will find it.”
Edelman played all 12 of his NFL seasons with New England. He finished his Super Bowl-winning career with 620 catches for 6,822 receiving yards and 36 touchdown receptions. He was a seventh-round draft pick out of Kent State in the 2009 NFL Draft.
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It’s that type of effort that Edelman knows Brown can bring to the Patriots’ offense.
Brown suffered a right ankle sprain in the Patriots’ season opener. On Sunday, he made his return to the New England offense and is working his way back into shape. Brown is in his eighth NFL season after starting his career with the Tennessee Titans for three seasons, then four seasons with the Eagles.
In two of his three seasons in Tennessee and in all four seasons with Philadelphia, Brown recorded 1,000-yard receiving seasons. In his second season with the Titans and first season with Philadelphia, Brown recorded 11 touchdown receptions.
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According to the PFN NFL WR Impact Metric from last season, Brown graded out to 79.9. He was targeted 121 times while playing with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He had 25.9% of the team targets in games that he played. Brown averaged 3.4 yards after catch for Philadelphia, making him one of Hurts’ most respected wideouts.
Still, the tension between Brown and the Philadelphia franchise grew as he pushed for a trade. He didn’t hide his feelings, either.
This is a new, fresh start for Brown with a franchise that he’s admired for a long time. Edelman seems to believe that once Brown settles into the Patriots’ style of play, he will pick up his production. Brown will look to do so as the 2026 NFL season rolls along when they take on the Chicago Bears in a short turnaround on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.