A.J. Brown's Patriots Uniform Number Revealed, And It Might Surprise You

I hope you held off buying an A.J. Brown New England Patriots jersey until after today, because if you prematurely made a custom one, you may be upset at the latest developments.

To recap: The Patriots acquired Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2028 first round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick. The veteran wide receiver, who's been named to three Pro Bowls and had been connected to New England for quite some time now, comes to the Patriots and immediately becomes their top option in the passing game.

Everyone, including all the people making the social media uniform swaps in the months leading up to today's trade, assumed that Brown would be wearing No. 11 with the Patriots. After all, that's the uniform number he wore with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021, and with the Eagles from 2022 to 2025.

It also helped that the Patriots released backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who wore No. 11 last season. All the stars were aligning for Brown to wear No. 11 and follow in the footsteps in Patriots Hall of Fame wide receiver Julian Edelman.

AJ Brown's Uniform Number Goes Back To Ole Miss

Nope. According to the Patriots' social media team, and quickly added to the team's online roster, Brown will be wearing No. 1 in New England this season. Despite his old number being available, Brown settles on the jersey he wore in college at Ole Miss.

WR1 pic.twitter.com/prgizq270j
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 1, 2026

Brown becomes the first Patriots player to wear that number since Ja'Lynn Polk wore it last summer. The former second-round pick struggled in his one-plus season in New England and was traded to New Orleans early on in the year. Most notably, quarterback Cam Newton (2020) and kicker John Smith (1974-1983) wore the number for the Patriots.

At the college level, Brown became a star for the Ole Miss Rebels in his three seasons. In 36 career games, the future second round pick caught 189 passes for 2,984 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was a candidate for the Patriots at the 32nd overall pick in 2019, but the team decided to take Arizona State's N'Keal Harry instead (who also wore No. 1 during his time with the team).

The Patriots will hope that Brown can become their "WR1" this season, working to replace Stefon Diggs who was released back in March. The three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl LIX champion has become one of the league's most dominant receivers at the point of attack, and can run nearly every route on the field.

Ole Miss wide receiver AJ Brown — Oct 6, 2018; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) salutes the fans after the game with the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The Patriots are risking plenty by bringing in a soon-to-be 29-year-old who's dealt with knee injuries in the past. They shipped off a first round pick, albeit two drafts away, to add another daunting weapon to a pretty lethal passing attack right now. While it may be a while until we will see Brown actually suit up (barring a quick trip to tomorrow's open OTA session), it's certain that his No. 1 uniforms will come flying off the shelves in New England.

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