A.J. Brown chose No. 1 jersey despite Julian Edelman giving his blessing to wear No. 11

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New Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has worn the No. 11 jersey throughout his NFL career, but in New England, he thinks of that jersey as Julian Edelman's, and he won't wear it with the Patriots. Brown said today that he and Edelman touched base and that Edelman was happy to have him wear 11, but Brown decided to go back to the No. 1 jersey he wore in college at Ole Miss. "Julian Edelman gave me his grace to wear 11, but I got so much respect and so much love for him, I'm going let that be, and I'm going to create my own legacy here," Brown said. "And getting back to my roots, I was No. 1 up until I got to the league, and I tried to get No. 1 in Tennessee and I couldn't because of Warren Moon, and even Philly, I tried to get No. 1, but Jalen [Hurts] just changed to 1 from 2. So it's a match made in heaven going back to my roots, and it feels good." The No. 1 jersey in New England was worn most recently by Ja'Lynn Polk, a wide receiver who had a brief and disappointing career in New England after the Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2024.