At long last, the Philadelphia Eagles have traded superstar wide receiver AJ Brown to the New England Patriots.
The Patriots sent a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round choice in 2027 to the Eagles to land Brown after months of rumors between the two teams.
Now, Brown is heading for a new team and has reportedly picked a new jersey number: No. 1.
WR A.J. Brown will wear No. 1 with the Patriots.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 1, 2026
It’s a big change for Brown, who wore No. 11 in high school, at college while playing for Ole Miss, and with both the Tennessee Titans and Eagles during his NFL career.
The Patriots also posted a photo edit with Brown wearing the No. 1 jersey.
WR1 pic.twitter.com/prgizq270j
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 1, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase is the most notable WR to currently wear the No. 1 jersey, and New York Giants star Malik Nabers and New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave are also among those wearing No. 1.
June 1 was also a loose timeline for a Brown trade to be done, as the wait now allows the Eagles to split the dead cap money between 2026 and 2027.
An Eagles trade became more evident when they traded up to No. 20 to select USC Trojans star WR Makai Lemon. The Eagles also acquired Green Bay Packers WR Dontavyion Wicks and signed Elijah Moore and Hollywood Brown.
AJ Brown now gives the reigning AFC champions a true WR1 option for Drake Maye, and it reunites Brown with his former head coach, Mike Vrabel.
