ESPN’s Dan Graziano went the simile route as part of his new article on Tuesday.
A.J. Brown like Stefon Diggs, Drake Maye like Josh Allen, New England Patriots like Buffalo Bills.
The Bills got Diggs before the 2020 season, and he lifted Allen’s game.
The Pats will be hoping Brown can do the same for Maye in 2026 after the trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire the uber-talented wideout.
“Maye had Diggs last season,” Graziano points out. “But what I specifically mean is, can Brown be for Maye what Diggs was years ago for Josh Allen in Buffalo? The Bills’ acquisition of Diggs in 2020 helped vault Allen into the top tier of the league’s quarterbacks. You could argue that Maye is already there, as he finished second in MVP voting in just his second season. But acquiring Brown from the Eagles in last week’s long-anticipated trade gives Maye a special type of physical, proven No. 1 wide receiver that last year’s Patriots did not have (and most teams don’t).”
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The Bills could never quite turn the Allen-Diggs partnership into a spot in the Super Bowl, and Maye did that with an aging Diggs last season.
But moving upward from Diggs to Brown, and adding Romeo Doubs, should only help the Pats in their quest to return to the big game.
“As the Patriots look to build on their surprising Super Bowl season, they are trying to find areas in which they can go from good to championship-caliber great,” Graziano writes. “Wide receiver was one of the positions that offered that opportunity, and if Maye can make the most of what Brown offers, we could see the Patriots’ offense ascend to another level in 2026.”
Brown caused some drama in Philadelphia in 2025 and still eclipsed 1,000 yards. He’s still in his prime, and the Patriots have seemingly acquired one of the best wide receivers in football.
Ironically, it could be bad news for the Bills and their secondary. Brown could be tough to stop with Maye throwing him the football, just as Diggs used to be in Buffalo with Allen.