Growing up, AJ Brown had a Patriots rug at his home, a sign that he was, is, and will always be one of the biggest admirers of the franchise. The ex-Philadelphia Eagles WR has long dreamt of playing for the New England Patriots and catching passes from Tom Brady. And while AJ can no longer catch passes from the 7x Super Bowl champion, he is finally playing for the team, where he knows he belongs. But at the same time, Brown also knows that he doesn’t want a favor just because he is a veteran, expected to lead the Patriots’ wide receiver unit.

In fact, on his very first day in the Patriots uniform after New England traded for him, the Patriots asked him to lead the stretching line at Tuesday’s OTAs. However, the veteran wide receiver straight-up declined, because he wants to earn that role.

“First of all, you have to learn your guys,” Brown said on Tuesday’s OTAs. “You just can’t come in and demand it. Like today, they wanted me to get out there in front of ’em. I’m like, ‘I gotta earn that first.’ And I want to earn it. I want to earn those guys’ respect. I just want to serve guys and help guys as much as I can on the field, off the field, whatever I can do.”

The Patriots acquired Brown in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick this week. But Brown has wanted this deal to become official for a while now. His frustration with the Philadelphia Eagles, their offense, and quarterback Jalen Hurts surfaced during the 2025 season. Since then, Brown has been linked to the Patriots, but the trade didn’t materialize before the calendar flipped to June.

However, once his agent told Brown the deal was official, the 28-year-old wide receiver became emotional and expressed that on Tuesday.

“Talking to my mom, I’m still in awe,” Brown said. “Walking up the hill with the uniform on, I was like ‘Man, this is real. I caught myself one point in practice that I wasn’t paying attention because I was like just trying to take it all in as much as I can. … There’s levels to it and I’m enjoying it. I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.”

Even before Brown took a snap in professional football, he wanted to be a Patriot. He was disappointed when the Patriots didn’t draft him in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. In fact, the Patriots picked receiver N’Keal Harry with the 32nd pick in the first round. Brown, meanwhile, was drafted by the then-Tennessee Titans and current Patriots’ head coach, Mike Vrabel, in the second round at No. 51.

“That was a tough night,” Brown said. “I was looking forward to being picked in the first round. I was projected to be a first-round pick, but obviously, projections can go another way. I went back to my room, and I went into a closet and just tried to gather myself. I was disappointed. It was not where I wanted to be. Obviously, I wanted to play with Tom.”

He now arrives in New England as a seven-year veteran, with six 1,000+ yard seasons and a Super Bowl ring. Now, under Mike Vrbael, he will lead the wide receiver unit for the third-year quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots knew that they had a talented quarterback. But what they lacked was a top wide receiver for Maye.

Brown is probably aware of the Patriots’ offense under Josh McDaniels, considering he has long watched the Patriots’ legends like Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and, of course, Tom Brady. Besides, he’s entering a familiar system under Vrabel, who coached him for three years in Tennessee.

“I think he loves football,” Vrabel said of AJ Brown. “I think he has a physical skill set. He’s got great body control. He’s strong at the catch point. But I also think he’s grown as a player and as a receiver, just the nuances of releases versus press, playing versus bracketed coverages or zone coverages. He plays physical with the football and has been a productive and consistent player.”

That said, Brown will wear the No. 1 jersey for the Patriots, and not No. 11, which he donned for the Titans and the Eagles, considering he respects Edelman, who wore No. 11 during his Patriots days. And while it’s evident that AJ Brown has spent just a few hours as a Patriot, the wide receiver has never shied away from revealing his loyalty to the team.

AJ Brown reveals his hidden loyalty to the Patriots

Whether admiring Tom Brady for his NFL career, changing his social media picture to the former Patriots quarterback, or having a Patriots rug at his home, AJ Brown has always hinted at his admiration for New England. During an interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor, once the Patriots acquired him, Brown revealed the reason why he had followed the franchise for years despite being an Eagle for the past four seasons.

“Some things never change. This is my team,” Brown said while talking about the Patriots. “This is my team since I was a kid, so it didn’t matter. I was doing what I was supposed to be doing as an Eagle, but this it.”

Brown spent four seasons with the Eagles, tallying 5,034 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns with Jalen Hurts running the offense. But moments after becoming a Patriot, the 28-year-old wide receiver took to social media and shared a couple of his childhood pictures, donning the Patriots’ No. 12 jersey, a nod to Brady. That said, Brown has already started the offseason program in New England as he prepares to lead the Patriots’ wide receiver room in the 2026 season.