FOXBOROUGH, MA – During the 13th of 14th practice periods as an early-training camp practice approached its conclusion, New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown knelt with the quarterbacks, clad in red no-contact jerseys.
The quarterback-receiver bond was being built in real time – and still is, as the Patriots’ preseason begins Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Quarterback Drake Maye won’t play, head coach Mike Vrabel said, and it’s unlikely Brown will see the field either. Which is why practice reps are the most valuable building block in the chemistry concoction between Brown and Maye.
“It is just trying to feel the connectivity building now,” Maye said. “I think that is the biggest thing with a player like him and a lot of players that we have. It is my job to try to get him the ball when they want and when they, when I feel like they are open, and that is what he’s trying to build – a relationship with me and him.”
Talking about route trees Brown likes to run against certain defensive looks is one common area of discussion.
“I think you’re just seeing it get better every day, and I think that is the best thing about training camp, is what you use it for,” Maye said. “I am blessed to play with a player like him and looking forward to giving him the rock and seeing him do his thing.”
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, despite being in a contract standoff with the team, has often matched up with Brown. For the first four days of practice, before the pads went on, Maye was 1-of-7 targeting his new teammate.
Since then, the practice connection between Brown and Maye has become cleaner. At the Aug. 11 joint practice against the Colts, the two connected during red-zone drills. Footage of Brown beating Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner on a hitch route went viral on social media.
A.J. Brown just DUSTED Sauce Gardner in 1v1s🔥
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) August 11, 2026
Patriots fans in attendance LOVE IT
-@CLNSMediapic.twitter.com/0g1GBXTSjf
Vrabel expressed confidence that the connection between Maye and Brown will continue to grow.
“A.J. will have plenty of opportunities to help us,” he said.
A.J. Brown injury update
Vrabel downplayed the seriousness of Brown dislocating his thumb early in camp and has also done the same regarding reports that the 29-year-old has a long-term knee issue.
“I think he has gotten off to a really good start, both mentally and physically, and (is) acclimating himself to his team,” Vrabel said.
Maye could certainly use a quality No. 1 receiver, although that wasn't necessary as the Patriots finished 14-3 in 2025 and advanced to Super Bowl 60. In his second season, Maye finished second in MVP voting. But a first-place schedule in 2026 and a target on the Patriots' backs means the journey to return to the big game will only prove more difficult, hence Brown's addition.
Brown famously got along well with his former quarterback, Jalen Hurts, upon his trade to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. Brown admitted earlier this year the two are no longer as close, and the Eagles traded Brown to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick June 1.
How Patriots will use A.J. Brown
Before then, not only did Brown elevate Hurts’ game and the entire Philadelphia offense, he remained exceedingly productive, with four straight 1,000-yard seasons and 32 touchdowns during the regular season.
“I think you see with the ball in his hands what he can do, so just finding more chances – intermediate, short, deep, just not shying away from it – I am not going to shy away from him,” Maye said. “That is how I play. I am going to keep going at it, and it could be the fifth play in a row I am going to give him the rock.”
Halfway through camp, however, Maye had slightly changed his tune; the third-year signal-caller reiterated his job was to lead the offense, move the ball and win – regardless of who was on the other side of his pass attempts.
Meanwhile, Brown took to referring to himself as “crafty” several times during an Aug. 7 meeting with the media.
“We’re really still building. We got a lot more work to do," Brown cautioned. "I’m not going to sit up here and say that we’ve arrived. We’re just trying to put our best foot forward each and every day.”
Brown said he is “very comfortable” in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system, with about 90% of the plays down pat. McDaniels’ scheme is “very complex, and that’s a good thing,” Brown said.
“It’s a lot more thinking,” he said.
When Brown discovers something that he wants to discuss, what’s important is that he brings it to Maye – and the entire offense.
“I think just being in a constant conversation is the best thing about it,” Maye said. “Him seeing something and texting me it or the whole skill room. I love doing big meetings with everybody and Coach McDaniels does a great job of explaining the little things and why we do them, and those (new) guys are starting to understand more and more why we do the little things and how they work.”
All of that sounds nice in the meeting room, in the abstract. As Vrabel put it, regarding Brown and Maye:
“You just have to go out and execute.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside the growing chemistry between Drake Maye and A.J. Brown