Can AJ Brown Return To Top-5 Wide Receiver Status In New England?

Can AJ Brown return to being one of the best receivers in the NFL? Brown enters the 2026 season looking refreshed after being traded to the New England Patriots from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, but the move has reignited questions about where he stands among the NFL's elite wide receivers. During Thursday's edition of First Things First, Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard debated whether Brown can climb back into the top five at his position. Wright wasn't ready to buy in, pointing to Brown's age as a factor working against him. He noted that only two receivers 29 or older posted 1,000 receiving yards last season, Stefon Diggs and Courtland Sutton, calling it a fun fact worth remembering before anointing Brown a top-5 receiver again. Wright also pointed to a statistical trend from Brown's final three seasons in Philadelphia that concerns him. "When you show his numbers on his Eagles career, what you see is a pretty consistent downward trend," Wright said. "Now the catches went up last year, but the yards went down, so the yards per catch plummeted. That, to me, is at least it's at least on the board that A.J. Brown peaked three years ago, and is now closer to the player he's been the last two years." Last season with the Eagles, Brown's total catches climbed to 78, but his yardage dropped to 1,003 on seven touchdowns, and his yards per catch fell to a career-low 12.9. This is a contrast from the previous two seasons. In 2023, Brown caught 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 13.7 yards per catch across 17 games. In 2024, missing four games to injury, he caught 67 passes for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 16.1 yards per catch. Wright added that Brown hauling in around 1,000 yards this season, is just as likely as a return to the top five — estimating his probable finish will be closer to the top 10 among receivers. Broussard was the most skeptical of the group, ruling out any chance of Brown reaching the top five. "I don't think he can be top five," Broussard said. "I think he can be very good, but he's not the same." Broussard pointed to Brown's ability to separate, or lack thereof compared to earlier in his career, to back up his stance. "His separation isn't what it used to be," Broussard said. "That's why I think those numbers did go down. He doesn't get the separation, so most of his catches are really contested." Despite the criticism, Broussard left room for a strong season in New England. "I still think he can be good," Broussard said. "I think he can be like a top 10 receiver and have a great year for them." He stopped short of putting Brown in the same class as Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Brown is looking forward to a new start in New England after he repeatedly voiced frustration over his role in the offense and his belief that he wasn't getting enough targets, with Jalen Hurts even acknowledging afterward that the two had grown apart. The debate leaves an open question as Brown begins his first season with the Patriots: was last year's decline due to his quarrels with Hurts, or a sign that his peak has already passed?