Drake Maye appeared at his FlexWork Sports camp in Massachusetts on Thursday and was asked about his new No. 1 receiver, A.J. Brown, whom the New England Patriots acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles six weeks ago in one of the most significant offseason moves in the AFC. The 23-year-old quarterback was not complicated about it.
"It has been awesome. I'm really looking forward to playing with him," Maye said. "I'm looking forward to getting to camp and building some chemistry. And I know there's already some there for me. You just gotta throw it near him and he'll make a play."
He also described Brown as a great teammate who loves to win. "We share that," Maye said.
The chemistry subtext matters here because it was the dominant storyline of Brown's final season in Philadelphia.
He logged just 14 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown in the Eagles' first four games of 2025, a slow start that prompted pointed public questions about his relationship with Jalen Hurts, which Brown insisted was fine while also frequently criticizing the Eagles' offense under coordinator Kevin Patullo.
The relationship and the situation quietly deteriorated until the trade.
Brown is 28 years old. Maye is 23. Brown caught 96 passes for 1,456 yards and 11 touchdowns two seasons ago when he and Hurts were connecting at the highest level.
The Patriots gave up meaningful draft capital to bring him to New England specifically to put that version of A.J. Brown around Drake Maye. Training camp opens later this month. Per the quarterback, there is already something there.