New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf confirmed that the organization knew about wide receiver A.J. Brown's degenerative knee condition before finalizing the trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It's a factor, but we examined him," Wolf told Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein. "He's got a knee that has some wear and tear that we were aware of. Our training staff and medical staff signed off on it."
Over his four-year tenure with the Eagles, Brown missed just one regular-season game and one postseason contest as a result of a knee issue. He suited up in 62 of a possible 68 regular-season games from 2022-25.
The 28-year-old underwent and passed a physical Tuesday before hitting the practice field with his new Patriots teammates. Earlier this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens nixed a trade for star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby after their medical staff failed his physical due to issues in his left knee.
"No injury, nothing to worry about," Brown told reporters Tuesday when asked about his knee, according to CLNS Media.
He added, "Maybe in, what, four years, I've missed one game from a shot to the knee, so that's nothing to worry about. I'm good. I'm ready to go."
On Monday, New England sent Philly a 2028 first-round selection and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for Brown. The wideout is under team control through the 2029 season, as the Patriots now inherit the remainder of his contract, which is worth $113 million.
Wolf said that the Patriots first called the Eagles about potentially acquiring Brown back in 2024, but general manager Howie Roseman wasn't willing to move him. Roseman ultimately had a change of heart around the scouting combine in February, Wolf told Epstein.
Brown's 8,029 receiving yards since 2019 rank fourth in the league, only behind Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill. However, by his standards, the three-time Pro Bowler is coming off a down year in which he averaged 66.9 receiving yards per contest.
The Ole Miss product's 2025 campaign was littered with controversy, as the star pass-catcher made multiple cryptic social media posts about his usage within Philadelphia's offense. He also got into a sideline altercation with head coach Nick Sirianni during the team's loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round.
Brown now joins a wide receiver room that includes free-agent signing Romeo Doubs as well as Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas. Meanwhile, Kayshon Boutte, who recorded 551 receiving yards and six scores last season, is interested in being traded and hasn't been present for New England's offseason program, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
