A.J. Brown’s high ankle sprain will indeed result in a notable stretch on the sidelines. The Patriots are placing their No. 1 receiver on injured reserve, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Brown will now miss at least New England’s next four contests (against the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills and Raiders) as a result of today’s news. The move to IR will open up a roster spot for free agent defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, who lined up a deal with the Patriots on Friday. New England’s WR room nevertheless will be shorthanded early in the season.
In the most significant move of their offseason, the defending AFC champion Patriots sent a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-rounder to the Eagles for Brown. The plan was for Brown to lead a revamped receiving corps, but those plans were temporarily kiboshed in their Super Bowl LX rematch with the Seahawks on Wednesday.
Brown left early in the third quarter after catching three passes for 26 yards. In his greatest contribution of the night, Brown helped set up the Patriots’ lone touchdown when he drew a 34-yard pass interference penalty in the second quarter. The flag put the Patriots at the Seahawks’ 2-yard line, and quarterback Drake Maye cashed in with a scoring pass to tight end Eli Raridon on the next play. Maye otherwise struggled on a night in which he tossed three interceptions – including the game-sealing pick in the Seahawks’ end zone with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Maye, last year’s MVP runner-up, will now go at least a handful of weeks without the player who was supposed to be the focal point of the Patriots’ passing attack. Brown replaced 2025 leading receiver Stefon Diggs, whom the Patriots released in March. Months before acquiring Brown, the Patriots gave ex-Packer Romeo Doubs a four-year, $68MM deal in free agency. Doubs’ Patriots debut was miserable, as he finished without a catch and had a crucial fourth-quarter drop, but he is now atop their Brown-less receiving corps.
Having traded Kayshon Boutte to the Texans in late August, the Patriots will rely on Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, 2025 second-rounder Kyle Williams and Efton Chism behind Doubs. Maye could also lean more on Raridon and No. 1 tight end Hunter Henry. It will be up to that group to help keep the Patriots afloat in Brown’s absence.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
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