With a difficult assignment against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the New England Patriots have barely had time to enjoy their comeback win over the Miami Dolphins before being greeted by yet another injury development.
According to media reports, wide receiver A.J. Brown missed practice again Thursday, putting the New England Patriots receiver’s availability against Green Bay in doubt after appearing in only three games this season.
New England gave up a first-round pick for Brown in June, and a knee problem since late October has left the offense without him again, with no return date in sight.
Brown sat out Wednesday’s session, his third consecutive absence from practice. Running back TreVeyon Henderson joined him on the sideline.
Then, on Thursday, Brown was missing again.
“No A.J. Brown, TreVeyon Henderson, Hunter Henry or Marcus Jones at today’s Patriots practice,” reported MassLive correspondent Mark Daniels early Thursday afternoon. “Brown hasn’t been at practice since popping up on the injury report last week. He’s missed the last four practices due to the knee injury.”
The knee designation first appeared on the injury report Wednesday, Oct. 28, when Brown practiced on a limited basis with the knee and an ankle issue both listed. He did not practice Thursday or Friday that week, according to the Boston Globe. He has now missed four practices since the designation. He also sat out Sunday’s game in Miami.
New England Patriots’ A.J. Brown Injury Status
The Patriots ruled him out for Miami and won the game 24-19 without him.
He had come back for the Jets and Bears games after being designated to return from injured reserve, where a high ankle sprain in the Seattle season opener had kept him for four games. Coach Mike Vrabel has described the knee and ankle as separate issues, rejecting the idea that the team rushed Brown back.
“Again, I can just speak on today and where he’s at today and what we feel like he can do today. So, that’s why I said he wouldn’t be out there today,” Vrabel said Wednesday.
Vrabel was answering a question about whether Brown could return to injured reserve. He neither confirmed nor ruled out the move, and no other public discussion of one has surfaced.
Brown has nine catches for 101 yards and no touchdowns in three games for New England.
Patriots’ A.J. Brown Contract Details
Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension with the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2024, averaging $32 million per year. The deal runs through the 2029 season, when it voids.
His 2026 pay is fully guaranteed: a $1.3 million base salary, a $27.45 million option bonus and a $250,000 workout bonus, according to the Boston Herald. That adds up to roughly $29 million, a figure that does not shrink with games played. Spread across his three appearances, it works out to about $9.7 million per game.
Only $4 million of his 2027 salary is guaranteed.
The Eagles traded Brown to New England on June 1 for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The move reunited him with Vrabel, who coached him in Tennessee from 2019 to 2021.
The Patriots knew about the wear in his right knee before the trade.
“It’s a factor, but we examined him… Our training staff and medical staff signed off on it,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said, according to CBS Sports.
Brown, 29, played at Ole Miss before the Tennessee Titans drafted him in the second round, 51st overall, in 2019. Philadelphia acquired him on draft night in 2022 and signed him to a four-year, $100 million contract.
He earned three Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl LIX title with the Eagles, and his career line stands at 533 receptions for 8,130 yards and 56 touchdowns.
Patriots Get Ominous AJ Brown Injury News Ahead of Packers Game