June 01, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
A.J. Brown said goodbye to Philly on social media – but also showed his excitement to be a Patriot.
After being traded from the Eagles to the Patriots on Monday, A.J. Brown took to social media to bid farewell to Philly and thank everyone from the players and coaches to the cafeteria folks and the cleaning crew at the Jefferson Health Training Complex.
He also wrote in his Instagram post that playing for Philadelphia fans "has been an honor" and that he was "thankful for every moment I had in Midnight Green."
The message also has a picture of Brown in his No. 11 Eagles jersey, making the heart sign with both of his hands.
For those without Instagram, here's his message and photo:
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffPMosher) June 1, 2026
But in a separate Instagram post that followed, Brown couldn't hide his enthusiasm for leaving the Eagles to play for the team he grew up rooting for – the team whose legendary former quarterback he admired.
Brown, who was unhappy with the Eagles and had made that known several times over the past two seasons, posted what appears to be two pictures of himself from his early childhood, wearing a Tom Brady No. 12 jersey in each picture (although pictures on social media can be, and often are, edited or doctored). The background music is a song called "Coming Home" by rap trio Diddy – Dirty Money.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffPMosher) June 1, 2026
Brown has made no secret of his longtime fandom of the Patriots, and Monday's trade reunited the star wideout with Mike Vrabel, who was Brown's head coach in Tennessee for three seasons before the Titans traded him to the Eagles during the 2022 draft for a first-round pick.
Brown has also spoken openly about his admiration and respect for Vrabel, who last season coached the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as New England's head coach. Vrabel won Coach of the Year for helping New England boost its win total 10 games from the prior year, tied for the largest win increase in NFL history.
Brown piled up 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns on 339 receptions during his four seasons with the Eagles, twice making the Pro Bowl and appearing in the postseason every year. He went to two Super Bowls with the Eagles and won a ring in 2024 despite decreasing stats in each of his past two seasons, which is part of the reason for his dissatisfaction that led to him wanting out.
The Patriots didn't hesitate to tout Brown's status – and perhaps new jersey number – after the trade news broke:
WR1 pic.twitter.com/prgizq270j
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 1, 2026
Interestingly, the Patriots don't have a No. 11 currently on the roster, per their team's official website.
Shortly after announcing the trade, the Eagles sent out two posts on social media devoted to Brown. The first issued a "thank you" with three photos, including one of Brown hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Thank you for everything, A.J. 💚 pic.twitter.com/sKg4lBIvtP
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 1, 2026
After that came a 127-second highlight video celebrating "an incredible four seasons in Philly" that included the time Brown controversially sat on the bench during a playoff game against the Packers and started to read "Inner Excellence."
You can hear the game broadcasters shockingly describing the scene that would later put Brown center stage in a media controversy, while the Eagles were in the midst of a Super Bowl run and helped push author Jim Murphy's self-help book to No. 1 on Amazon's best-sellers list.
The video ends with Brown's performance in Super Bowl LIX and him appearing in the championship parade down Broad Street before fading to black.
An incredible four seasons in Philly pic.twitter.com/mAk3O6o5DO
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 1, 2026
SIGN UP HERE to receive PhillyVoice's Sports newsletters.
Follow Geoff on Twitter/X: @geoffpmosher
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
