New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel yelled at A.J. Brown during the team's first team meeting.
While speaking to reporters on Monday (7/27), New England Patriots WR A.J. Brown spoke about head coach Mike Vrabel yelling at him at the first team meeting.
Why did Vrabel yell at Brown? Because Brown couldn't corral the first pass of training camp from Drake Maye.
"First team meeting, he ripped me for not bringing in a catch," Brown said Monday following the Patriots' third practice of camp, via ESPN. "Early on as a rookie, I didn't really like that too much. Now I know it comes from a great place. He expects me to make that play, and so do I."
Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pro Bowler enters next season with 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Eagles. He was heavily linked to the Patriots because Vrabel coached him in Tennessee. The two are very close.
Since entering the NFL, Brown is fourth in the league in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.
Maye finished second in MVP voting last season, losing the award to Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford. New England's offense could be very, very explosive next season with Maye, Brown and Romeo Doubs leading the way.
A UNC product, Maye finished the 2025 regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns while completing 72.0% of his passes. Not bad for a second-year QB.
New England reached the Super Bowl last season, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Year 1 of the Vrabel era. The Patriots had to acquire Brown because their No. 1 WR from last season, Stefon Diggs, was released this offseason.
It will be intriguing to see how Brown performs in 2026 in Josh McDaniels' offense. The Patriots open the season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Maye enters next season with 6,670 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. It will be fascinating to see whether the Patriots can return to the Super Bowl next season and win it all.
Maye and Co. have plenty of motivation after losing to Seattle 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
