Patriots WR A.J. Brown Unsurprisingly Named to NFL Top 100 Players List
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has checked in on the NFL's 2026 Top 100 Players list this summer, the first player on the team to crack the list.
Brown was ranked No. 80, a significant drop from when he was ranked No. 29 last season.
He was added to the New England wide receiving corps after a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in early June. Brown is known for being among the best deep ball threats in the league and possesses a skillset that lines up well with quarterback Drake Maye. Brown is coming off his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season, and is in a pretty nice situation to continue that stretch.
Brown is coming off a season in Philadelphia recording 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.
Brown previously played under Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans, spending the first three seasons of his NFL career (2019-2021) with his now-head coach.
A.J. at 80 pic.twitter.com/AXEJLshPFu
- New England Patriots (@Patriots) July 6, 2026
Brown is slated for a key role for the Pats in 2026. He's expected to fill the gap left by the release of Stefon Diggs. He has the resume to do it, as he comes to the Patriots with 8,029 receiving yards and 57 total touchdowns in his career. Brown has also been named to three Pro Bowls, played in two Super Bowls and hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy with the Eagles back in 2024.
Brown Becomes First Patriot To Crack 2026 List
Already known as one of the league's top wideouts, Brown being named to the list should not come as a shock.
He's already making an impression at practices since arriving on June 2. He'll enter the summer as the Patriots clear-cut WR1 for training camp starting on July 25.
Brown has also earned the respect of his new teammates in the process. Second-year offensive tackle Will Campbell previously said he'll be a solid addition to the New England roster.
"He's been able to do some incredible things in this league, so we're more than excited to have him," Campbell said at OTAs earlier in the spring.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson thinks that Brown will do more than his fair share of work in the Patriots' offense.
"I'm glad, everyone's glad, to have him here," Henderson said. "You know, that's a huge pickup for this offense and for the team. ... That's a big receiver. He's really talented, man. I really love his game. I really respect the way that he carried himself off the field. But yeah, I'm really excited to have him here."
The revealing of the NFL Top 100 Players List will continue into the summer, with other players (Maye, cornerback Christian Gonzalez) also expected to see their names added in the coming weeks.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots WR A.J. Brown Unsurprisingly Named to NFL Top 100 Players List.
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 11:09 AM.