5 clues A.J. Brown dropped about his desire to join the Patriots

After completing a trade for A.J. Brown on Monday, the Patriots finally have their No. 1 wide receiver.

Although he’s a Mississippi native, Brown grew up as a Patriots fan and has dropped several hints about his interest in the team over the years.

From sharing stories about how it felt when the Patriots took N’Keal Harry over him in the 2019 draft to reminiscing about his early days playing for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, Brown has spoken glowingly about his new team and head coach over the years.

Here are five things Brown said in the past that may have been clues about his future as a Patriot.

Draft day tears

During a 2020 appearance on Barstool’s Bussin’ With The Boys, Brown said that he had a feeling on draft night that the Patriots would be the team to select him.

“I just knew I was going to the Patriots because I was a big Patriots fan. I just knew it,” Brown said. “Everything went fine with them and I got a phone call like ‘this is it’ but it wasn’t it, it was my agent and he was like ‘just sit tight’ and I was like ‘OK.’ He was like ‘they’re going to take a receiver’ and I was like ‘OK cool bet.’”

Brown’s hunch was incorrect. New England selected N’Keal Harry No. 32 overall, while Brown was eventually selected No. 51 overall by the Eagles in the second round.

Seeing the Patriots pass on him was so disappointing that it led him to tears, he said.

“I just saw the time kept going down on the Patriots’ clock and I was like ‘they’re tripping’, like I don’t know what the hell is going on,” Brown said. “So, they ended up picking, it said the pick was in and I know ain’t got no phone call by now so I was like this [expletive] is over. So I told my brother, I said ‘bro let’s go’ and I left everybody at the house and went home, went in the closet and cried my eyes out.’

A Patriot-themed profile pic

Brown caused a stir in 2024 when he changed his profile photo on Instagram to a picture of Tom Brady wearing a blue Patriots jersey.

He later explained the move on X, saying that the 10-part docu-series “The Dynasty” stirred up some nostalgia.

“TB12 is my favorite player ever,” Brown wrote on X at the time. “I watched ‘The Dynasty’ and it brought back some memories from my childhood. Go look up what he did in 2015 when he was doubted/disrespected. Yeah I see the disrespect. Motivated … yes. That’s it I Did not think changing my [profile picture] to the greatest QB ever would cause controversy. Take Care.”

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Patriots had inquired about trading for Brown at that time, but were told that he was not available.

A wink to Julian Edelman

Last February, as rumors were swirling, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowki interviewed Brown on their podcast “Dudes on Dudes.”

Towards the end of the episode, Edelman told Brown “Just remember, we are all Patriots, you know that right?”

Brown winked and smiled, but ultimately said “I’m trolling” when asked if he was going to be a Patriot.

A first pump after receiving a Patriots jersey signed by Brady

Brown couldn’t contain his excitement when he received a signed Patriots jersey from Brady.

He posted a video of himself opening the package it arrived in. He held up the jersey with pride as he talked.

“Best to ever put cleats on,” Brown said of Brady. “Now debate that.”

A story about Mike Vrabel

During his appearance on “Dudes on Dudes,” Brown said he didn’t understand why Vrabel was so hard on him during his early days in Tennessee.

He recalled writing “I hate [Vrabel]” repeatedly in a notebook during team meetings.

He later realized that the coach was trying to push him to reach his full potential. He spoke about how the coach earned his respect.

“When I say that he holds every single [person] accountable from top to bottom, I don’t care who it is,” Brown said. “That’s who he is and it makes the team come together because nobody is bigger than the team, nobody is bigger than the program, so you have to respect it.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.