The A.J. Brown era in Foxborough officially begins now as the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles finalized the trade.
With the move, it was anticipated that Brown would take over No. 11, which was famously worn by Julian Edelman. Last season, that number was worn by backup quarterback Joshua Doubs. However, the star receiver has taken a different route.
With a new team comes a new number.
The Patriots posted a photo of Brown in a Patriots jersey, and the receiver is wearing No. 1, which is the number he wore in college.
Reactions To A.J. Brown’s New Number With The Patriots
“No. 1 for the #Patriots new WR1,” Patriots.com’s Evan Lazer posted.
“Oooooooo spicy,” Sports Illustrated’s Mike Kadlick wrote.
“Hope nobody got ahead of themselves and bought a No. 11 AJ Brown jersey,” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth commented.
“A.J. Brown going back to his Ole Miss days in No. 1,” Pats Pulpit’s Brian Hines said.
However, some fans were not so happy to see this number on the receiver simply because of its history.
“Can’t believe they’d give someone Ja’Lynn Polk’s old number,” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Kevin Maggiore shared.
“NOOO NUMBER 1 CURSE,” one person stated.
“Did he ask N’keal Harry permission for this?,” another person expressed.
“Not gonna lie, my heart sinks a little seeing that number on him,” a fan wrote.
“This number choice scares me lol,” another fan commented.
“Crazy to see him wear this knowing he could’ve been in it the whole time, instead we had N’Keal Harry wearing that number…,” one fan pointed out.
A Look At The Patriots Offense With A.J. Brown
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It was just after 4 p.m. on June 1 that the Patriots’ trade for Brown was finalized, with New England sending a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange.
However, while it was a steep price, it provides Drake Maye and the Patriots with a true top receiver.
With the news, AJ Brown takes over the top spot on the depth chart, with Romeo Doubs and Kayshon Boutte behind him. Then, it’s Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams, as well as DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism.
Last season, Stefon Diggs served as the top target becoming the Patriots’ first receiver with over 1,000 receiving yards since Edelman in 2019. But now, that role will go to Brown, who is one of the best deep ball receivers in the league and now he gets to play with one of the best deep ball throwers.
However, the offense suffered another shakeup as a result of the trade, with the team announcing that they have placed tight end Julian Hill on season-ending injured reserve. Hill signed a three-year deal with the Patriots this offseason, filling that veteran spot left behind by Austin Hooper. He moved to second on the depth chart behind Hunter Henry, but now third-round pick Eli Raridon will likely step into that role. The Patriots also have Jack Westover, CJ Dippre, and Tanner Arkin on the roster, but could look to add another veteran at some point this summer.
A.J. Brown’s Jersey Number With Patriots Revealed