AJ Brown downplays revenge talk ahead of Eagles-Patriots joint practice

Given how disgruntled he was with his role in Philadelphia last year, the prospect of facing his former side could be seen as an opportunity to send a message.

But speaking to NFL Network, available to NFL Game Pass subscribers on DAZN, Brown downplayed talk of revenge.

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Brown focused on craft, not revenge

Brown posted four consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons in Philadelphia, caught 32 touchdowns, and made the Pro Bowl twice.

But things came to a head last year when he voiced his displeasure with his diminished role in Kevin Patullo's run-heavy offense.

Asked about his mindset ahead of his reunion with the Eagles at the joint practice, the wide receiver preferred to stress the importance of improving his mastery of the position.

"It's not a game. It's practice, and I'm out here crafting," Brown said, refusing to be drawn into talk of retribution.

"I'm just going to leave it at that," he continued. "I'm not harping on if I catch a touchdown. I'm not harping on if somebody knocks the ball down.

"The only thing that speaks to me is the craft, and what I need to do better with. Anything else is irrelevant.

"We won a Super Bowl," Brown added, referring to the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX win, a point worth noting given New England lost to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.

A dislocated thumb doesn't slow Brown

Brown had a momentary scare when he dislocated his thumb going up against All-Pro Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez in practice, but he shrugged it off quickly.

"It was tough. I tried to get back into that flow-state zone," he said. "Obviously the game is what it is, and you're going to get bumps and bruises.

"You've got to keep going. I know it's practice, but thumb out of place, you keep going."

Garafolo pointed out Brown had popped the thumb back into place himself, and Brown waved off any real concern about the issue, explaining that he's "going to do a little treatment on it."

Brown's 2026 mindset

Widely expected to be Drake Maye's favourite target in 2026, Brown sounded ready for whatever defenses throw at him.

"I like to use the reference of, we're in a boxing match because most of the time I'm on this island," he explained.

"There's nobody going to help you, there's nobody going to help me, so let's go," he continued.

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