There is a lot of excitement to feel after the New England Patriots finally got a No. 1 wide receiver for the first time in too long following their A.J. Brown trade. Brown, who also shone under Mike Vrabel during his time with the Tennessee Titans, is expected to completely elevate New England's offense and give Drake Maye a new go-to weapon, which is crucial for his development.
However, the Mississippi native has also had concerning knee issues, stemming from his time with the Titans, and even revealed during a 2025 interview on the "Pardon My Take" podcast that he was getting his knee drained twice a week during the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl run the season prior.
And if the latest reports are true, then things might be worse for Brown (and, in turn, the Patriots) than we thought.
Rams reportedly backed out of A.J. Brown trade
According to Jeff McLane of The Inquirer, the Los Angeles Rams backed out of a trade with the Eagles to acquire Brown after getting a look at his medicals.
“He may need a few more 1,000-yard seasons to be a bona fide Hall of Fame candidate. The Patriots may get two more high-quality years out of Brown, even if there are questions about his chronic knee issues. The Rams backed out of a deal with the Eagles after they got a look of his medicals, two league sources said.”
Obviously, assuming this is true, this doesn't necessarily inspire a lot of confidence in Brown's chances in New England. However, the trade has already been finalized. The 28-year-old is officially a Patriot, and if this team (who also signed Stefon Diggs last season, fresh off an ACL tear, before he had a bounce-back season) had the same concerns Los Angeles had, the deal likely would've never come to fruition.
Plus, it's not like these knee concerns are a new problem. Brown has dealt with them for the majority of his career at this point, yet he just played 15 games last season and has never played fewer than 13 games in any season.
The Patriots may have given up a lot to get Brown (a 2028 first- and a 2027 fifth-round pick), and there's a chance that this trade may come back to bite them if his knee concerns are as real as the Rams seem to think they are. But this was also a risk they needed to take to bolster their offense and give Maye another weapon as they look to solidify themselves as real Super Bowl contenders moving forward.
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