Well, you had to know this was coming. Some things are certain. As sure as we know every disgruntled NFL star will somehow be connected to the Philadelphia Eagles in some wild trade rumor, we knew Mike Vrabel's hire in New England as the next Patriots coach would lead us to this moment.
If we're being honest, we're actually kind of surprised that it took this long.
Dear NFL media: Please refrain from the expected A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots story.
By now you've heard. Jerod Mayo was fired as New England Patriots head coach after one disappointing season. His replacement is a former Pat who has reinvented himself as a damn fine NFL head coach.
Yes friends, Mike Vrabel, a former linebacker, who caught a TD pass vs. the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX is now the new head coach of the Patriots, and as you might expect, he was asked about hi connection with A.J. Brown and a possible reunion.
#Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on bringing WR AJ Brown to New England:
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) January 14, 2025
"Yeah, we'll see....I'm proud of his development, his personal development. And working on himself....He's a passionate player, and I love him to death. And I have a very, very close relationship with him." pic.twitter.com/bGcFaJStpv
Yeah... No... Philly stole A.J. Brown from Vrabel's Tennessee Titans during draft night in 2022. What in the 'blankety-blank' would they ever give him back to Vrabel for?
Let's just say they did though... Let's discuss some numbers...
According to Spotrac, Philly has cap hits of $23.4 million, $22.7 million, $27.6 million, and $29.3 million in 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029 respectively.
Seriously... What are we talking about here? We could end the story there, but we'll move on.
We get where this comes from. It's the same pony in a different show, or maybe this is more of the one-trick pony. You get the idea though. A.J. Brown is trending... A Patriots platform tries its hand at capitalizing off of the traffic.
Nice try, but it's kind of boring.
Recently, there have been these weird lines that connect dots representing the Eagles and Patriots. Bill Belichick sings a bunch of former Eagles, from Jalen Mills to, yes, even Nelson Agholor. Some of Philly wanted their Birds to fire Nick Sirianni and hire Jerod Mayo as head coach.
We haven't heard from the latter fans in a while.
Then, there's Belichick himself. Some of Philly hoped the Eagles would fire Nick and hire him. Now, this... But, rest easy tonight fans. A.J. Brown isn't going anywhere.
We have but one humble request. We're begging you. Please don't post one of those stupid photos of A.J. Brown in a Patriots' jersey. That's all we ask. Please honor that request.