Eliot Wolf says Patriots ‘aware’ of A.J. Brown’s knee condition

The Patriots knew AJ Brown had a degenerative knee condition before they traded him, said Elliot Wolf, executive vice president of player personnel. Report from Yahoo! Sports Wednesday.

Brown passed his medical, and the trade became official Monday. New England sent a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for the Browns.

“It’s a factor, but we checked it,” Wolf said. “His knee had some wear and tear that we were aware of. Our coaching staff and medical staff signed off on that.”

Brown told reporters during his introductory news conference on Tuesday that he was not concerned about his knee.

“No injury. Nothing to worry about,” Brown said. “I think that’s a little bit — you have to understand where I’m coming from, so any conversation about anything is going to come up. Probably in four years, I’ve missed one game from a knee shot, so I’m good, I’m ready to go.”

However, there have been rumors that Brown’s knee condition may have been a concern for other teams.

“The Rams have been involved in trade negotiations with the Eagles,” Jeff MacLean of the Philadelphia Inquirer said during a recent appearance on The Eagles. Bird Detection Podcast. “It is reported, and from what I understand, I have confirmed this as well, that they received medical treatment and that they were not happy with what they saw and that is why they backed out.”

The trade market for Brown appears to be less robust than it used to be. Wolff began contacting the Eagles about Brown two years ago and the response was “skeptical,” according to Yahoo! a report. When the Patriots tried again last February, the Eagles were more open.

Brown has never played in fewer than 13 games in any of his seven NFL regular seasons. However, the 1,003 receiving yards he received last year were the second-lowest of his career. His 12.9 yards per catch was a career low. His longest catch last season was 45 yards, also a career low.

Brown will turn 29 at the end of this month. He is a three-time Pro Bowler with six 1,000-yard seasons and helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2024.

Coach Mike Vrabel and several members of his coaching staff know Brown from his time at Tennessee. Vrabel was the Titans’ head coach for the first three years of Brown’s career.

“Again, when you’re talking about 90 guys or 91 guys, there’s going to be a different plan for each guy,” Vrabel said when asked about Brown’s knee condition Tuesday. “And again, I think given the amount of work and the availability he was able to get, whether we would have to manage him or someone else.”

“It’s a long season; there will be things that we have to deal with, and we will try to do it accordingly. But based on his availability in the games that he has been able to play in and be with his team, I think that leads to his availability in the future.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports reporter

Khary Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khary covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.