New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talked about A.J. Brown's maturity.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel coached A.J. Brown on the Tennessee Titans, so Brown had a familiar face in Vrabel once he got traded to the Patriots this offseason.
Vrabel has been impressed by Brown's maturity thus far in New England. Brown is looking to fix his image around the league after being a big distraction on the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season with the Eagles. The Pro Bowler enters this season with 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Titans and Eagles.
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.
Not only does Brown get to play for Vrabel again, but he also gets to catch passes from one of the best QBs in the NFL. Patriots star Drake Maye finished second in NFL voting last season. It was an impressive feat considering the UNC product was only a second-year player.
Maye put up 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns last season. He's already developed a good rapport with Brown, who helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots open the 2026 season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle. That's the perfect game for Vrabel and Co. to get revenge.
Vrabel won the Coach of the Year award last season. He led the Patriots to a 14-3 record.
Maye enters this 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 and win it all. Maye and Co. have plenty of motivation after losing to Seattle 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
"I think that's the biggest thing about it: It's humbling. You've got to get back to work. When you're so close and within reach, you want that feeling," Maye said. "Everybody says, 'You'll be back.' It's not that easy. So, we've got to get back to work, and I'm looking forward to trying to prove to myself that we can get back and just have another year to get a chance at it."
