A.J. Brown has been rumored to be seeking a trade during the 2026 NFL offseason. If the Philadelphia Eagles were to make him available, the New England Patriots have emerged as one of his potential destinations. The wide receiver shockingly admitted that he didn’t like head coach Mike Vrabel when recently asked about the theoretical move.
A.J. Brown Explains Why He Didn’t Like Playing for Head Coach Mike Vrabel
Brown began his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans when Vrabel was their head coach. The connection between the two of them has fueled rumors that he could potentially be dealt to the Patriots, who are expected to be in the market to upgrade their wide receivers.
The Eagles star recently appeared on the “Dudes On Dudes” podcast and was asked about the possibility of reuniting with Vrabel in New England. He gave a surprising answer by describing to co-hosts Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski why he didn’t like the head coach when he played for him in Tennessee.
“I used to write in my notebook, because at the time, I didn’t really like Vrabel. I admit that, and he knows that. I used to write, ‘I hate Vrabel,’ but I was doing that to pretend that I was taking notes and to look like I was engaged, but because he was so hard on me when I was a rookie. I didn’t really understand it … But he holds every single player accountable from top to bottom,” explained Brown.
A.J. Brown on Coach Mike Vrabel 👀
📺 Episode out now on Youtube! pic.twitter.com/iFSkjyohgf
— DudesOnDudes (@DudesOnDudesPod) February 19, 2026
Brown’s shocking response included him admitting to not taking notes during team meetings when he was supposed to and also being frustrated with being held accountable for all of his actions. He explained that this would include him getting called out for being tired in games or sometimes lacking the effort that Vrabel was looking for.
He apparently seems to understand the reasoning behind all of it now, acknowledging that the accountability and attention to details were a key factor in their relative success. Despite his admitted difference with Vrabel, he didn’t rule out the possibility of being traded to the Patriots.
Brown suffered notable regression last season with the Eagles, finishing 21st in PFSN’s NFL WR Impact Metrics among all wide receivers. This was the first time in his four years in Philadelphia that he ranked outside of the top ten.
Many rumors have also been swirling that he may have fractured relationships with Jalen Hurts and/or Nick Sirianni, further fueling the speculation that they may be looking to move on from him.
