This offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles traded wide receiver AJ Brown to the New England Patriots, giving him a fresh start in a reunion with former head coach Mike Vrabel. It also links up Brown with rising star quarterback Drake Maye, who, under Vrabel's leadership, guided the Patriots to a surprising Super Bowl appearance seven years after all-time great Tom Brady won his sixth with the team. According to Brown, the new connection is already solid, and Maye makes his life easier.
During a sit-down with Devin McCourty for NBC's "Sunday Night Football," Brown heaped praise on his new quarterback's abilities ahead of the Patriots' season. "His arm talent, you know? He can make any throw from anywhere on the field.
I'm 30-40 yards down the field, and he places it in my hand, and he gets upset at himself when he doesn't," Brown said. "I think he'll learn; anywhere in the vicinity, you know, that'd be great, instead of just trying to place it in my hands." More news: Lamar Jackson Sends Warning to Rest of NFL About Ravens’ New Offense Maye said that in his job as quarterback, he tries to be "perfect" since he's striving for that, but "it makes it more comforting" that he doesn't need to be perfect all the time with Brown. Last season, Maye threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns with eight interceptions, and the Patriots went 14-3 to win the AFC East.
Brown comes in with 1,003 receiving yards and seven touchdowns with the Eagles, catching passes from Jalen Hurts. He's only had one season with under 1,000 receiving yards in his career, so many are expecting big things from this Maye-to-Brown connection in New England. They participated in practices last month and seem to be on the same page, which is certainly a good sign for Patriots fans, but regular-season games will be the true test.
Neither Brown nor Maye participated in any of the Patriots' three preseason games. However, both players will be on the field for the huge season opener, a Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 8:20 p.m. More news: Commanders Make Surprising Offensive Change With QB Jayden Daniels For more about the New England Patriots and the NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
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