FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A.J. Brown’s path from the New England Patriots’ facility to their practice field bisected the Eagles’, where his former teammates were beginning to warm up ahead of Wednesday’s joint practice.
As he jogged by those familiar faces, he beat his right hand over his heart, which was shrouded by his new-look No. 1 navy blue jersey.
“It was love, man,” Brown said after practice. “I know I’m on an opposing team right now, but I still felt some love.”
Brown may have felt some love, but he didn’t show the Eagles any mercy once practice began.
The 29-year-old receiver was back to his dominant self in the first of two joint practices of the week, hauling in all six of his targets from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 team drill sessions.
Wednesday’s practice marked the first time Brown has faced the Eagles as a member of the Patriots, the team that acquired him on June 1 in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. It turned into somewhat of a reunion late during the two-hour practice. At one point when the starters were on the sideline, Brown spoke to members of the Eagles offensive line and Saquon Barkley.
Once the final horn sounded to conclude practice, Brown chatted with Quinyon Mitchell, Jordan Davis, and Darius Cooper. He spent time with Eagles receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, gave reserve quarterback Tanner McKee a hug, and fist-bumped Nick Sirianni.
But after practice, Brown acknowledged that he hasn’t spoken to Jalen Hurts since the trade, although both were photographed at DeVonta Smith’s wedding in the days following the deal. Brown also declined to explain the driving force behind his desire to change teams.
How did Brown leave things with Hurts before he left Philadelphia?
“Philly, man, y’all tough, man,” Brown said with a laugh. “Man, it’s love. Listen, listen. Honestly, guys, none of that stuff even matters. You all should want to report something positive. You know asking the question is going to turn negative. So let’s not get into that, and let’s keep everything positive. It’s love my way, and just move forward. That’s all.”
Brown expressed that he was open to catching up with Hurts if he saw him this week.
“I’m sure if our paths run across, yeah, sure, yeah,” he said.
When Brown lined up on the field, though, he wasn’t doing much talking. Mitchell, who exchanged his fair share of trash talk with Brown in practice during their two seasons as teammates, said the receiver wasn’t in his ear between reps Wednesday.
“We just kept it businesslike, and just competing,” Mitchell said.
Brown handled his business during team drills, namely against starting outside cornerbacks Mitchell and Riq Woolen. But Mitchell got the better of Brown in wide receiver-defensive back one-on-ones to open practice.
The Pro Bowl receiver had a step on the All-Pro cornerback on a deep ball from Maye down the left sideline. Mitchell latched on to Brown’s towel that hung behind him from the top of his pants.
Mitchell pulled himself back into the play, and while Brown got his left hand on the ball, he couldn’t get his right hand around quick enough to make the catch. The ball bounced off Brown’s hand and fell incomplete. Brown asserted that Mitchell got away with holding, but he took accountability for the incompletion.
“That’s on me,” Brown said. “Attention to detail, catching the ball high, not letting it get low. So those are the little things. It was never about who I’m going against.”
Brown was sharper as practice progressed. On his first target in 11-on-11s, he motioned from the left side of the formation and inserted into the B gap on the right side. Brown ran a deep crosser over the middle back to the left side of the field, then caught a pass from Maye with Woolen trailing in his wake.
Later, Jihaad Campbell had a would-be sack of Maye on a blitz up the middle. But Maye still got the deep pass out to Brown on a fade, and the receiver made the back-shoulder grab with Woolen on his heels again.
“He gave me a good ball,” Brown said. “It was a quicker throw, and I just know I had to win at the line of scrimmage, and I was going against Tariq, and I know he’s very fast, and I know he was coming, so I just had to hold my line of scrimmage and just keep going vertical and fade at the last second.”
According to Mitchell, Brown didn’t look like the same player he had grown accustomed to competing against on the practice field the last two years. He asserted that Brown looked “better” and “faster.”
The last time Brown shared a field with the Eagles, he was suited up in midnight green for the wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 11. He had three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards in the 23-19 loss.
It was an underwhelming performance to cap off a relatively underwhelming season, in which Brown finished with 1,003 receiving yards, his lowest total since 2021 with the Tennessee Titans.
When asked for his message to Eagles fans, particularly in the aftermath of that game, Brown acknowledged his shortcomings. He also expressed a desire to move on from the past.
“I love you, and I’m not looking in the past,” Brown said. “It’s a game. That game, no, I didn’t play my best, but I’m not going backwards.”
Instead, Brown said he is fixated on his opportunity in New England. He lauded Maye as an “incredible leader” who is making his job as a receiver easier with his arm talent and his vision. Brown also raved about Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, as he excels at creating advantageous matchups for the receiver.
As he moves on with his new team, Brown said his love for Philly persists. Still, he didn’t view joint practice as an opportunity to get closure on his departure.
“No, it’s not about no closure or anything, man,” Brown said. “It’s love. I won a Super Bowl ring with them, and [it’ll] always be love, no matter how anyone feels. I love Philly, and I will always love Philly.
“But I’m here now, and that’s where my feet are, and that’s where I’m focused on.”
