Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is reportedly in talks with Eagles HC Nick Sirianni for joint practices this summer in Foxborough.
The New England Patriots remain central to the rumored trade talks with the Philadelphia Eagles about A.J. Brown, while the two teams are also reportedly discussing holding joint preseason practices in Foxborough this summer.
The report came via ESPN's Mike Reiss on Sunday afternoon. Reiss wrote in his column on Sunday that both Nick Sirianni and Mike Vrabel have had “preliminary discussions about the possibility of having the teams practice together in the preseason—likely in Foxborough."
The last time this happened was back in 2024. The Eagles and the Patriots held joint practice sessions in the days leading up to their preseason matchup. The Eagles proved to be the more dominant team that week. It was former Patriots coach Jerod Mayo at the helm, and many knew how that panned out for the team. The Eagles, however, were six months away from hoisting a Vince Lombardi trophy at the time.
This time around, the narrative is a little different. The Patriots are fresh off making it to the last game of the year, and the Eagles, who made the playoffs, proved to be a bit dysfunctional.
As mentioned above, this also comes at a time when many around the league feel that we will soon see A.J. Brown in a Patriots uniform.
Brown will be participating in these practices; now, one must wonder which team he'll be practicing for that week.
Brown has earned All-Pro honors, Pro Bowl honors, 1,400+ yards twice, and amassed 5,000+ yards receiving since joining the Eagles. Prior to that, he was a key weapon for the Tennessee Titans under Mike Vrabel during Vrabel's tenure as head coach.
Joint practices would often lead to a preseason game, and right now, none of that is set in stone for either team; however, according to Reiss, "Part of that would be tied to the NFL granting the teams' request to face each other in the preseason, which isn't usually a major hurdle. If it happens, the atmosphere and competition at the newly named New Balance Practice Fields would be buzzing."
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