It hasn’t been a perfect return for A.J. Brown. Injured in his first game for the New England Patriots after the offseason trade, he finally made his long-anticipated return in Week 6 against the New York Jets.

Unfortunately, the game didn’t start great for the veteran wide receiver. With a chance to connect on an explosive play, he had a wildly careless drop. Almost instantly, fans started mocking him across social media.

A.J. Brown Isn’t Living Down Second-Quarter Mistake Anytime Soon

Last season, Brown had a ton of complaints about the Philadelphia Eagles, particularly on offense. Those frustrations helped fuel months of trade speculation; what felt like an inevitable trade came to pass for the number 12th-ranked player on PFN’s NFL Wide Receiver Impact metrics last season.

However, he couldn’t make an immediate impact for New England, suffering a high ankle sprain in the season opener. The injury sent him to injured reserve and kept him out for four games before he returned in Week 6.

“Yikes: AJ Brown drops a WIDE-OPEN deep ball from Drake Maye,” Dov Kleiman mocked on X alongside a video of the missed catch, before claiming, “One of the worst drops you will ever see.”

Some Eagles fans took great joy in his mistake. With his repeated criticism of the offense, along with later reporting that some of his frustration involved Jalen Hurts, some sectors of the fan base were clearly tired of his antics.

“Eagles may be bad but at least we don’t have to watch AJ Brown do this anymore,”one fan claimed, before jokingly adding, “(I’m sure since I tweeted this he will go off now).”

Another fan suggested that this was a common occurrence during his tim with the Eagles, writing, “Good to see nothing has changed.”

One of the most infamous moments of his tenure came in the playoffs, when cameras spotted him reading a book on the sidelines while the game was ongoing. The moment sparked widespread discussion, and it wasn’t one that Eagles fans had forgotten.

“Someone get the Inner Excellence book for AJ Brown again,”one fan wrote, while another fan added, “Time to grab the book I guess. This duo is aging like milk, I couldn’t be more here for it.”

Some fans pushed back on the commentary around Hurts, with one fan snidely remarking, “This must be Jalen Hurt’s fault too.”

He wasn’t the only one to draw that comparison, as another fan added, “They would called it poor throw if was Hurts lol.”

Unfortunately, the night wasn’t without further problems for Brown. Brown finished with three catches for 27 yards on 10 targets. He also fumbled after an eight-yard reception late in the second quarter, though he recovered it himself. Eli Raridon secured the Jets’ final onside kick, allowing New England to close out a 26-19 win.

But there were some clear signs of concern for what is supposed to be the Patriots’ prized offseason acquisition and WR1, at least on paper.