Why A.J. Brown could play less as a member of Patriots

After months of speculation, the A.J. Brown saga is finally over. The former Philadelphia Eagles star is now with the New England Patriots.

Brown wasn't happy with his role in Kevin Patullo's offense, and there were reports that he wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, which led to his reunion with head coach Mike Vrabel. However, not everything might be good news for him. While he's more than familiar with his former Tennessee Titans head coach, things may have changed.

According to ESPN expert Bill Barnwell, Brown's snap share in Foxborough might actually go down, not up, comparing him to 2025 Stefon Diggs.

A.J. Brown may actually play less for the Patriots

"Ironically, I wonder whether Brown's reunion with Mike Vrabel might actually lead to a reduction in his snap share," Barnwell wrote. "Brown nominally steps into the lead wide receiver role that Stefon Diggs filled for the Patriots a year ago."

Diggs was efficient and made the most of his touches. But as Barnwell pointed out, he wasn't on the field as often as in prior years.

"The since-released wide receiver didn't even earn a Pro Bowl berth, though, because he wasn't playing very often. The Pats used Diggs on only 55% of their offensive snaps in 2025, and he ran a pass route on just 60% of dropbacks," added Barnwell. 

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that Brown will be used the same way. He's younger, better and eager to be on the field as often as possible. However, there's a precedent. Brown is the type of player who won't be happy with a decoy role, not even if that helps the team win. 

The Eagles were riding multi-game winning streaks and looking like the best team in football, yet he wasn't happy when he wasn't the reason their offense was dominating. That said, Vrabel is familiar with his character and personality, and all parties involved were aware of what they were getting into when they pushed to get back together.