The Drake Maye-A.J. Brown connection is already clicking

Drake Maye and A.J. Brown wasted little time giving Patriots fans something to get excited about, as the new QB-WR duo produced the two standout plays of minicamp.

On Day 1, Brown elevated over cornerback Kindle Vildor, who was draped all over him, to haul in a back-shoulder touchdown on a beautiful pass from Maye in the red zone.

On Day 3, in another red zone period, Maye floated a pass to the back corner of the end zone before A.J. Brown had even turned. Brown tracked the ball, flipped his hips, briefly turned his back to it while adjusting, then spun around and reeled it in over Craig Woodson before getting his feet down for the touchdown.

“I think Drake started on the right side, but he came back to me a little late, and he threw the ball as a back shoulder. It was a great ball, back shoulder,” Brown said after the practice. “And I just kind of turned my head. Obviously, the DB doesn’t know where the ball is. And my background, you know, playing baseball in the center field, turning over the shoulder, looking over the shoulder, it’s a tough catch. I’m just glad I got my feet down.”

Brown arrived from the Eagles just over a week ago in a trade that sent a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to Philadelphia in exchange for the three-time Pro Bowl and three-time second-team All-Pro. While he and his new quarterback are still in the early stages of building chemistry, the early returns have been everything the Patriots could have reasonably hoped for, both in how quickly the connection has formed on the field and the impact Brown has already made in the locker room.

“It’s just spending more and more time, getting more reps. We’re still growing,” Brown said. “I think things are off to a great start.”

Before New England’s final minicamp session Thursday, the last practice of the Patriots’ offseason program before a break until training camp July 25, Brown issued a challenge to his third-year quarterback: be perfect.

“I was just bragging on him, talking him up. I said, ‘Hey, man, you like that. You can make any throw.’ I just want him to be confident. I was kind of pushing him today. I told him, ‘I want you to be perfect today.’ He was like, ‘Let’s be perfect,’” Brown recalled. “I said, ‘Don’t worry about anybody else. Just focus on yourself. You be perfect, you’re gonna raise that standard, and everybody else will follow.’ So, just trying to poke at him a little bit, see how far he can go. But he’s a great player, and I’m excited for this season.”

Maye, who completed a league-best 72.0 percent of his passes last season for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions, while leading the NFL in passer rating (113.5) and QBR (77.1), finishing as MVP runner-up and earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, has already made a strong first impression on his new WR1.

“The talent speaks for itself. He can make any throw. But I think what’s more impressive to me is that he knows what he’s doing. To be that young and to understand the defense, and understand every little check, the hots, the blitz, all those things so young and so fast, it’s very impressive. I really admire that,” Brown said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He demands that everybody else know as well. And he’s a true leader. He’s a true leader of men, and it’s crazy to see at a young age.”

Brown, who has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons and ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2019, has left his quarterback just as impressed.

“It’s hard not to get excited. What a player he is. And just to start off the bat, what a great teammate so far,” Maye said. “He’s eager to learn. He’s great with the guys in the locker room. You just look forward to playing with a guy of the caliber. He’s been a great player in this league. He’s gone everywhere he’s gone. He’s been a guy that you see on SportsCenter the next day making plays and scoring. And, the best thing about him is that he’s been a winner. He knows what it’s like to win, and he adds just something in that room that we’re kind of looking for.”

The Maye and Brown connection is off to a fast start. That won’t change during the break. Brown said the two plan to get together over the next six weeks with the goal of being firing on all cylinders when training camp opens in late July.

“What’s important is just building that time, having that time together, building those reps, thinking how you’re thinking, playing, seeing different looks,” Brown said. “And just how he’s throwing the ball, and where I need to be. I’m just trying to be where he wants me to be.”