Chemistry Building Between Patriots' Drake Maye and A.J. Brown

FOXBORO --- Heading into camp, expectations were high for the New England Patriots' newest quarterback-wide receiver duo. After an MVP runner-up year in his sophomore season, Drake Maye got a brand new weapon this offseason in A.J. Brown.

The Patriots gave up a 2028 first round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick to acquire Brown from the Eagles. The 29-year-old has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven seasons in the NFL.

But when he got to New England, he struggled initially to get on the same page as Maye.

The duo connected just once on seven pass attempts in team drills through the Patriots' first four practices, including on a pass tipped by Brown and intercepted by Craig Woodson. But even through the slow start, Brown was confident the tides would change.

"We'll get going as camp progresses," he said after practice on Monday.

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) makes a catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since the team put on full pads on Thursday, Brown has stayed true to his promise. Between New England's first two days of padded practices, Brown caught eight passes on nine targets in full team drills.

One highlight play came on Friday, when Brown got Christian Gonzalez to bite on a double move and hauled in a 50-yard score down the right sideline from Maye.

"We got some great competition," Maye said after practice on Friday. "(Brown) and (Gonzalez) are going back and forth and going at it."

How The Quarterback-Receiver Tandem Has Grown

Although Maye struggled to connect with Brown through the first four days of camp, his confidence in the receiver never waned. In fact, he continued to throw it in Brown's direction even more than before.

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) does a passing drill with running back Treveyon Henderson (32) during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Just giving more chances to him," Maye said when asked about the most important thing in improving his connection with Brown. "I think you see with the ball in his hands what he can do. So, just finding more chances, intermediate, short, deep, just not shying away from him...That's how I play."

Brown added an additional note on what has contributed to their chemistry growing.

"Non-stop communication," he said. "Just hearing what he thinks, and he's listening to me, and we're just trying to get on the same page."

The confidence in each other has allowed the duo to take a step up from where they were in their first few training camp practices together. Even still, they recognize it is early on in the process of working together.

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels speaks to wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"So it's just trying to feel the connectivity building now," Maye said. "I think that's the biggest thing with a player like him and a lot of players that we have. It's my job to try to give them the ball."

If Brown's connection with Maye continues to grow, he could join the likes of Stefon Diggs, Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Wes Welker, Randy Moss and Troy Brown as the only Patriots wide receivers to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season since 2000.

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