Are the New England Patriots going to trade for Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown?
At the NFL combine in Indianapolis, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about A.J. Brown trade rumors.
The Philadelphia Eagles could trade Brown this offseason and the Patriots have been heavily linked to the Pro Bowler since Vrabel coached him on the Tennessee Titans.
"I think that we'll look at everything that we can possibly look at to add to our roster," Vrabel said. "And again, there's a lot of things that go into trades. There's a lot of back and forth and taking on compensation. And so I'm sure there'll be a lot of opportunities for us to talk about trades, not only this week, but as we prepare and get closer to the draft.
"The relationships with players, and specifically ... A.J., has meant a lot. I've watched him grow, I've watched him mature. I'm proud of him. Proud of the father that he is, proud of the husband, and that has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played.
"Those are the things that are important. We reach out and text each other during the things that happen good to eachother and sometimes things don't go so well for the people that you're close with, and you text those as well. It's a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today."
Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2025 regular season. He and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts weren't on the same page at all.
During a recent episode of the "Dudes on Dudes" podcast with former Patriots stars Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, Brown said he used to hate Vrabel, who led New England to the Super Bowl this season against the Seattle Seahawks.
However, it sounds like time has healed those wounds.
"Vrabe is the type of coach that he's going to call on you in the meetings," Brown said. "He wants to make sure you're staying engaged and he's going to go over the keys to victory of the week. You better know them by the back of your hand. I used to write in my notebook because at the time, I really didn't like Vrabes. I didn't like him, and I admit that he knows that. So, I used to write, 'I hate Vrabes, I hate Vrabes, I hate Vrabes.' I was doing that to pretend like I was taking notes to look like I was engaged. But because he was so hard on me when I was a rookie and I really didn't understand it. So, at the time I told Vrabes like, 'Hey, like I'm humble already. You don't got to humble me.' But I really didn't understand what he was trying to, you know, push me to be."
It will be intriguing to see if the Patriots trade for Brown this offseason.
Brown doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract.
Patriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the "Join" button at the top of the page to join our community for free.