Eagles' A.J. Brown explains why he 'hated' Patriots' Mike Vrabel amid trade rumors

Long before Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown became the subject of constant trade rumors, Brown had current New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as his head coach from the 2019 NFL Draft up until the Tennessee Titans traded Brown to the Eagles in April 2022. 

Numerous stories have linked Brown with the Patriots since even before New England completed a trip to Super Bowl LX. During an appearance on the latest edition of the "Dudes on Dudes" podcast hosted by Patriots icons Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, Brown reflected on his previous experiences of working with Vrabel. 

A.J. Brown had a special Mike Vrabel mantra while with Titans

"Vrabe is the type of coach, he's gonna call on you in the meetings," Brown explained, per Stephen Douglas of Sports Illustrated. "He's gonna make sure that you're staying engaged, and he's going to go over the keys to victory of the week, and you better know them, like, to the back of your hand. I used to write in my notebook, cause at the time I didn't really like Vrabe. I admit that. He knows that. So I used to write in my notebook, 'I hate Vrabe, I hate Vrabe, I hate Vrabe.' But I was doing that to pretend like I was taking notes to look like I was engaged."

That "hatred" turned into mutual respect, as Vrabel texted Brown before the Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII back in February 2023. Vrabel seemingly was never on board with the Titans' decision to trade Brown, and many assume that the coach would happily welcome the sometimes-mercurial talent to a Patriots team that could use help at the position. 

A.J. Brown admits to "trolling" amid trade rumors

A Thursday report indicated that the Eagles aren't in a hurry to sell Brown for pennies on the dollar this offseason. Nevertheless, he had some fun during the podcast when he responded with a wink after it was suggested that he, Edelman and Gronkowski are "all Patriots." 

According to Jordy McElroy of Patriots Wire/USA Today, Brown eventually admitted that he was just "trolling." 

"When I say he holds every single player accountable from top to bottom — I don't care who it is — that's who he is," Brown added about Vrabel. "And it makes the team come together because nobody's bigger than the team. Nobody's bigger than the program. So you have to respect it."

Brown signed a three-year, $96M extension with $84M in guaranteed money in spring 2024. Thus, it may take more than some playful comments for Brown to receive a trade to the Patriots or a different team if he truly wants to leave the Eagles this offseason.