The New England Patriots will be without their prized offseason acquisition for the next month.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown is out for at least four weeks due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, NFL Network reported Thursday.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel suggested that Brown’s status for their Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers was in question when he met with reporters earlier in the day.
“I don’t know if he’ll be available going forward here for the next week, but we’ll see,” Vrabel said. “Once we get the report, we’ll figure out what the treatment plan is.”
Brown left Wednesday night’s game early in the third quarter following an incomplete pass from Drake Maye. He was falling to the turf as he tried to make the catch, and Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett’s knee made contact with Brown’s ankle, pushing it against the ground.
Brown was initially announced as questionable to return before the Patriots ruled him out at the start of the fourth quarter. He had three catches for 26 yards before the injury, but he also drew a defensive pass interference penalty that set New England up at the 1-yard line for its only touchdown of the game.
The injury is a blow for an offense that was counting on Brown to fill the void created after the team decided not to bring back Stefon Diggs following a productive 2025 season as the offense’s No. 1 receiver. New England surrendered a first-round pick and a fifth-round pick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire Brown in June.
Brown, 29, was durable during his four seasons in Philadelphia, playing in all 17 regular-season games in 2022 and 2023, dropping to 13 during the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl title season, and then 15 in 2025.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
