Patriots' Drake Maye opens up about budding relationship with A.J. Brown

Shortly after the New England Patriots acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles in early June, third-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye acknowledged that "it’s really just on me to give [Brown] a chance to touch" the football during upcoming games.

It sounds like Maye is encouraged by how his working relationship with Brown has developed over the past month-and-a-half.

Drake Maye: Working with A.J. Brown has already "been awesome"

"It’s been awesome. I’m really looking forward to playing with him," Maye said about Brown while speaking with ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Thursday, per Lauren Campbell of MassLive. "I’m looking forward to getting into camp and building some chemistry, and I know there’s already something there for me." 

Brown routinely voiced frustrations over his role in the Philadelphia offense across what became the final two seasons of his Eagles tenure. Thus, some understandably have suggested that it may be a matter of when and not if he begins to publicly complain about Maye. 

That said, Patriots reporter Chad Graff of The Athletic noted on Thursday that Brown will "probably be a great fit [for New England] in 2026." Graff also mentioned that the 2025 Patriots "ranked 24th in scoring percentage inside the 20 and 17th in touchdown percentage."

Ideally, Brown will serve as a big and reliable red-zone target for Maye.

"He’s 6-foot-1 and posted a 36-inch vertical leap at his scouting combine," Graff wrote about Brown. "He had 10 touchdowns in his last 18 games with the Eagles, even in an offense that wasn’t thriving or centered around him. Brown alone should go a long way in helping the Patriots’ red-zone offense."

Drake Maye: A.J. Brown is "a great teammate" 

"You just got to throw it near him, and he’ll make a play," Maye added about Brown. "So he’s a great teammate. Been great so far, and he loves the win, so we can share that."

Maye and other veteran Patriots players are due to report for training camp on July 24, so excited New England fans won't have to wait too much longer to see more videos of Maye tossing passes toward Brown on the practice field. 

The Patriots will open the upcoming season with a Super Bowl rematch at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9.