FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown told NFL Network that he dislocated his thumb in Monday's practice, but he didn't miss any time.
"It was tough. I tried to get back into that flow-state zone really quickly because obviously you're going through some pain," Brown said in an interview with Mike Garafolo and Brian Baldinger, who were broadcasting from practice.
"The game is what it is, you're going to get bumps and bruises, and you have to keep going. I know it's practice, but I'm not coming out of practice. Thumb out of place? You keep going."
Not even a dislocated thumb can wipe the smile off A.J. Brown's face these days.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 3, 2026
The #Patriots WR with @BaldyNFL and me on Inside Training Camp on @nflnetwork to talk Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, why a finger out of place won't end his day + more. pic.twitter.com/tiCFYjpxdI
Brown said he dislocated the same thumb when playing at the University of Mississippi in 2018. He recalled it occurred against Arkansas, which came in the seventh week of that season, and he played through it the final five games of the year.
On Monday, the dislocation occurred in a one-on-one red zone drill when Brown was matched up against Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, which has been a must-see battle through the first eight practices of training camp. Quarterback Drake Maye threw a fade to Brown in the left-hand corner of the end zone, but Brown aborted his route after being engaged with Gonzalez, and Maye's throw was intercepted.
Brown took his helmet off, then the glove on his left hand, as team doctor Scott Martin and head athletic trainer Jim Whalen came on to the field to check on him. Brown had his left thumb taped and he inserted himself back into drills, later catching two touchdown passes.
Brown said he planned to receive "stim and ice" treatment on the thumb after practice.
Of his timing with Maye to this point, Brown told NFL Network: "It started off a little slow. Obviously because I'm going against Gonzo and [Maye] is getting to know me more and more. But as these practices have been going, me and him have been picking up very good momentum."
