The 15

By Vinny Jace, Special to the15net dot com:

The dust has settled, the new car has been driven off the lot and onto the road. Now it’s time to get a clear idea of what the Patriots have and what they’ll need to do to sustain it. A.J. Brown, for all the faults I’ve previously attributed to him, remains a very explosive talent with a year or two of above-average production left in the tank. While it’s unlikely he’ll rack up 1,500 yards and touchdowns in the high teens again, you have to be optimistic that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will find ways to utilize him that go beyond the stat sheet.

The 2025 Patriots receivers were a plucky, pugnacious group that punched above their weight class. Rather than relying on a single player to carry the load, they spread the wealth. Stefon Diggs was a focal point of the interior passing game, logging 52% of his total snaps in the slot. Mack Hollins was heavily featured as a “power slot”—a physically imposing receiver who lines up inside rather than outside. Unlike traditional slot receivers, power slots use their size, strength, and blocking ability to exploit smaller nickel cornerbacks.
It was a classic “Do Your Job” team that spread the ball around and played a balanced, flexible style that minimized weaknesses. While the 2026 Patriots are far from perfect, there is reason to view them as superior to the squad that just made the Super Bowl.

Brown made no secret of his dissatisfaction with his role in Philadelphia. While how he expressed that dissatisfaction remains a bone of contention for me, the underlying reasons appear understandable. The Eagles ran a rigid, perimeter-based approach that kept Brown on the outside. He ran a career-low 12.4% of his routes from the slot and was targeted on dig or crosser routes just 22 times. He was locked into a vertical wideout role—something he can do—but it led to stagnation for both him and those around him, as the Eagles couldn’t find the offensive groove they needed.

For McDaniels, it’s fair to assume he doesn’t see Brown as a Randy Moss redux. More likely, he views him as a Rob Gronkowski redux: a physically imposing, gritty “big slot” who will work primarily from the inside. When that isn’t in the game plan, they can utilize Brown in what they called “Spear Routes” last year—two deep posts designed to clear out the safeties so the backside receiver can cut underneath on a deep dig.

Pro Football Focus data highlights Brown’s value in the slot. His grades dating back to 2022 remain strong, and any recent downtick can be attributed more to how Philadelphia ran its offense than to Brown’s own decline.

Among wide receivers, Brown’s slot performance since 2022:

2022: 12-20 | 180 yds, 4 TD | 88.9 grade (t-11th)

2023: 15-20 | 225 yds, 1 TD | 91.6 grade (6th)

2024: 5-10 | 82 yds, 3 TD | 91.8 grade (t-4th)

2025: 11-19 | 154 yds, 1 TD | 85.8 grade (10th) (Stats courtesy of @ThrowbackPATS. https://x.com/throwbackpats/status/2062244366090215923?s=46&t=pAGJU4_47xmQiQLpkIQLyQ)

Of course, adding Brown opens the door to potential locker room discontent—most notably from third-year wideout Kayshon Boutte. He is one year away from unrestricted free agency and just watched his role shrink with the arrivals of both Brown and Romeo Doubs.

I can understand Boutte’s frustration. He was a good soldier playing for a knucklehead like Mac Jones in his rookie year. He was the only player who improved during the debacle that was the 2024 season. In 2025, he remained unheralded but developed into a reliable, explosive deep-ball threat who saved Drake Maye on multiple occasions. If older Patriots fans are reading this (first off, thank you), I hope it isn’t sacrilege to compare Boutte to Stanley Morgan—the original yards-after-catch merchant. Boutte’s 16.7 yards per reception ranked 5th in the NFL, and he caught over 71% of his targets.

Boutte has made it clear he wants a new destination where he can feel secure in his role and protect his path to generational wealth. You’re that close, and playing the good soldier only gets you so far in this league. This is where Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and Ryan Cowden need to set modern sensibilities aside and smooth things over. They should be willing to endure a few uncomfortable days—Boutte skipping practice, fines being handed out—and work toward a resolution. Trading a 24-year-old wideout who has come up big for you in key games is rarely a recipe for long-term success.

You could argue the Patriots are so deep at receiver that they can let Boutte walk for a meaningless fifth-round pick and not miss a beat. But that underestimates the savage nature of pro football. Injuries happen. Brown has a well-documented history of knee issues and has landed on the injury report multiple times. If Brown or Doubs misses time, Boutte can step in and pick up the slack in ways that less-developed players like Kyle Williams and Efton Chism simply can’t. The Patriots currently enjoy rare depth at a premium position. You can’t put a price on that

If the situation reaches Lawyer Milloy or Randy Moss levels of dysfunction, letting Boutte go becomes understandable—but it would still sting, given how much younger he is than either of those players when their time in Foxboro ended.
There’s also a beautiful irony here: Brown and Boutte complement each other perfectly. Brown will command constant safety help and double teams, creating space for Boutte to get open in one-on-one matchups. New England would win those battles all day. When Brown mauls defenders across the middle, it opens the door for Boutte to thrive as a deep threat. A Brown/Boutte partnership would also help solidify the run game and create higher-percentage throws for Hunter Henry and DeMario Douglas.

You can downplay Boutte’s desire to leave by saying Doubs will replace his value. While Doubs is excellent, it doesn’t change the reality that injuries are common and the trade return for Boutte would likely be underwhelming.
Right now, if my choices are a late-round pick (fifth or sixth) or letting him walk after this season—assuming he remains professional when it matters—I’m leaning toward keeping him. With this group, the Patriots are in far too advantageous a position to do otherwise.

Vinny Jace is a special contributor to The15net.com. He does not live in Jonathan City.