New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown is sidelined once again. The Patriots ruled out their star receiver for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium, the second straight game he‘ll miss due to his knee injury.

Brown, 29, has spent most of the season trying to get back on the field. An ankle injury in the opener against the Seattle Seahawks sent him to injured reserve until a Week 6 return against the New York Jets, and he played again four days later vs. the Chicago Bears.

Christian Arcand Sizes Up A.J. Brown’s First New England Patriots Season

However, Brown has totaled just nine receptions for 101 yards and no touchdowns this season.

In a segment posted on Saturday, WEEI 93.7 FM radio host Christian Arcand took a grim view of where that leaves Brown’s debut season in New England.

“We’re not gonna see him this week. I don’t know when we’re gonna see him again,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be shocked if we didn’t see him again and that would put the first year of the A.J. Brown experience squarely into the disaster category. What level of disaster? Pretty big one… We’re talking like a big-time disaster.”

Arcand measured the letdown against what Brown was supposed to bring.

“That’s too bad because the promise of A.J. Brown and what he represented… I’m sure Drake Maye and the offense, Josh McDaniels, everybody was looking forward to what they could do and how that would work.”

After playing against the Bears, Brown’s knee once again flared up, keeping him out of the November 1 game against the Miami Dolphins and ruling him out for Sunday.

The latest reporting points in a more hopeful direction. Tom Pelissero reported Saturday that New England is optimistic Brown will return sooner rather than later, perhaps after its Week 11 bye. The first game after that break is a November 29 trip to Los Angeles to face the Chargers.

New England sent a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles for Brown in June. Last season, Brown ranked No. 12 in PFN’s WR Impact metric with a grade of 79.9. This season, he hasn’t been on the field enough to qualify.

Adam Schefter Raises the Long-Term Question About Brown’s Knee

The longer view came up earlier in the week. On Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” NFL insider Adam Schefter said, “It’s a knee that I think raises some concerns as to how long he’s gonna keep playing here in New England and producing at a high level.”

Schefter traced the concern back to the trade market, recalling “advanced discussions for a trade with the Los Angeles Rams that was at one point close to being completed.”

“I think the Rams had some concerns about his knee,” he added. “Well, the concerns that other teams have had have now manifested themselves in New England this season.”

New England’s read on that risk goes back to the trade itself. After the June trade, Patriots player personnel executive Eliot Wolf spoke about Brown’s knee.

“It’s a factor, but we examined him. He’s got a knee that has some wear and tear that we were aware of. Our training staff and medical staff signed off on it,” Wolf told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who drafted Brown during his Tennessee Titans tenure, kept the focus on Green Bay when the subject of Brown’s knee came up Wednesday.

“My concern is about trying to prepare for the Packers… Certainly the health of the team is critical, but we have to make sure that the guys that are practicing are preparing for Green Bay,” he said.

Sunday’s game will be the sixth Brown has missed in New England.