Playing for your favorite NFL team isn’t all fun and games as New England Patriots wide receiver AJ Brown recently discovered.
Brown was acquired by the Patriots in the offseason after previously playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In recent days, Brown went through his first day of training camp as a Patriot, but made a clumsy mistake that led to criticism from coach Mike Vrabel.
Brown was running 11-on-11 drills when quarterback Drake Maye launched his first pass of the day intended for his new top target. However, Brown dropped the ball as he attempted a one-handed catch.
While it certainly would have been a stunning moment, this proved to be a chance for Vrabel to make it clear that Brown wouldn’t get any special treatment.
Brown told the media, ‘First team meeting, he had ripped me for almost bringing in a catch, and he expected me to make that play.
Patriots wideout AJ Brown recalled how a training camp mistake led to him getting called out
After failing an attempt on a one-handed catch, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel ‘ripped’ Brown
Brown is still working on developing his chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye
‘Early on, as a rookie, I didn’t really like that too much, but now I know it comes from a great place and he expects me to make that play, and so do I.’
With three days logged in training camp, Maye and Brown have only connected on a single pass in full-team drills.
Brown was acquired by the Patriots in June in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The receiver says Vrabel ‘doesn’t care about style points’ and would rather see him snag a few easy catches rather than flash his hands.
While there’s little chemistry at the moment, reports indicate that the quarterback has tried to target his new target early and often. Brown says he’s aiming to improve his rapport with Maye soon.
‘Just being on the same page. Communication,’ Brown said. ‘(It) may be an angle here. I may need to go higher or something small like that.
‘The details are very small in this league, and you got to execute it. And so, as of yesterday, something so small and maybe the angle (leads to) tips and overthrows.’
