The recovery timetable of A.J. Brown’s injury has gone in a direction the New England Patriots won’t love, but the latest update on their star receiver included one encouraging detail.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on “NFL GameDay Morning” that Brown is now expected to miss six weeks (instead of four weeks) with the high ankle sprain he suffered in New England’s 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
That’s the bad news.
The good news?
Rapoport added that Brown likely won’t undergo surgery, which can happen if the sprain is of a more serious nature.
Avoiding surgery is meaningful for a high ankle sprain, but the six-week estimate is longer than the minimum four-game absence New England locked in when it placed Brown on injured reserve.
Ian Rapoport Sets Six-Week Timeline for Brown
“My understanding is the expectation is he misses six weeks,” Rapoport said. He added that the injury is “a little more serious” and that no surgery is planned.
The update provides more clarity than New England had immediately after Brown went down in the third quarter against Seattle. An MRI confirmed the high ankle sprain, and earlier reporting had placed his expected absence at at least four weeks. The Patriots officially moved him to injured reserve Saturday.
The no-surgery portion is the better side of Rapoport’s update. Cleveland Clinic notes that high ankle sprains generally do not require surgery unless the damage is very severe or the ankle remains unstable. Brown’s treatment plan can still involve a significant rehabilitation process, but avoiding an operation removes one potentially complicating factor.
The timeline, however, appears to make the Patriots’ earliest possible IR return date less realistic. The team noted Saturday that Brown is eligible to return against the Jets in Week 6 on Oct. 18 after missing games against the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills and Raiders.
Six weeks from the Sept. 9 injury lands around Oct. 21. New England plays at Chicago on Oct. 22 in Week 7, meaning Rapoport’s estimate lines up more closely with that game than the Week 6 meeting with New York. Recovery timetables are estimates, so Brown’s actual return will depend on how his ankle responds.
Patriots Must Navigate Important Stretch Without Brown
Brown’s absence changes the complexion of an offense that entered the season expecting him to be Drake Maye’s top perimeter target.
Before leaving the opener, Brown caught three passes for 26 yards and drew a 34-yard pass interference penalty that helped set up New England’s lone touchdown. The Patriots’ official website noted that he had played 30 of the offense’s first 31 snaps as an outside receiver before the injury.
Brown arrived in New England during the offseason after a decorated run in Philadelphia. The three-time second-team All-Pro entered 2026 with 527 receptions for 8,055 yards and 56 touchdowns, underscoring the size of the hole the Patriots now have to cover.
That leaves Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs and the rest of the receiver room with more responsibility while Brown rehabs. Hollins stepped into Brown’s outside role after the injury and converted a fourth-and-9 opportunity late against Seattle, while New England could also create more snaps for its younger options.
The pressure falls on Maye, too. New England squandered a 10-0 lead in the opener, and Maye threw three fourth-quarter interceptions. Losing the offense’s most accomplished receiver during a stretch that includes road games at Jacksonville and Buffalo makes the margin for error thinner.
Brown’s move to IR already guaranteed a four-game absence. Rapoport’s Sunday report suggests the Patriots should prepare for something closer to six weeks.
NFL Insider Drops Good and Bad News on Patriots’ A.J. Brown Injury