Patriots' A.J. Brown opens up about reunion with Mike Vrabel

This past winter, wide receiver A.J. Brown revealed that he respected how current New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel held "every single player accountable from top to bottom" when Vrabel was Brown's head coach with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 season. 

On Monday, the Eagles officially traded Brown to the Patriots. During a conversation with Maria Taylor of NBC Sports, Brown opened up about his working relationship with Vrabel. 

Mike Vrabel helped make A.J. Brown the player he is today

"When I first got to Tennessee, he was extremely tough on me, and I didn’t really understand what he was trying to do," Brown said about Vrabel, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Obviously, he was trying to push me to become the player I am today, but he was just so tough. I remember a conversation, I was talking to him, like, 'You don’t have to humble me. I came from humble beginnings.' I just never understood. He stayed on me all the time."

Brown added that Vrabel "was holding me accountable, and we grew close over the years." It's no secret that Vrabel didn't want the Titans to trade Brown to the Eagles in the spring of 2022, and Vrabel later texted Brown before the Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

What Mike Vrabel said to A.J. Brown after Patriots-Eagles trade

Vrabel had a simple request for Brown after Monday's trade involving the Patriots and Eagles went public. 

"Get open and catch the ball," Brown said about Vrabel's message. "That’s what he always says."

As Lauren Campbell of MassLive noted, Brown mentioned during the interview that the Patriots have been "my team since I was a kid." Brown also said that he "left the draft party, went home and cried" after the Patriots passed on selecting him during the 2019 NFL Draft. 

"Just to be in Gillette Stadium, it’s gonna mean everything to me," Brown continued. "Obviously, I’ve played there before, but just to wear the uniform, it’s gonna be so special." 

How Brown serves as a red-zone target for quarterback Drake Maye will likely help determine whether or not the Patriots will experience a "special" ending to the 2026 season following their Super Bowl LX defeat.