AJ Brown’s First Day on the Job
Brown arrived early on Tuesday morning and took his physical, and once he passed, he started digging into the playbook. He had a press conference and had many quotes. He even participated in the OTA open to the media at noon. Brown looked great in receiver drills, making a one-handed catch on a back-shoulder fade against Karon Prunty. He even caught a pass from Drake Maye in 11 on 11’s.
Here are some of the quotes from Brown:
- AJ Brown on being traded to the Patriots, “Dream come true. Truly a kid in a candy store. Last night was like Christmas. I’m just excited. The kid in me is ecstatic right now.”
- A.J. Brown on being with the Patriots: “I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.”
- “They wanted me to get up in the front (in the drill line in practice). I’m like, no, I gotta earn that, you know?” Brown said. “… I’m like, I gotta earn that first. And I want to earn it. I want to earn those guys respect.”
- A.J. Brown on where his Patriots fandom came from: “The passion came from wanting to be like my big cousin. He was a big Patriots fan, and I wanted to be like him. As far as I can remember, I was a Patriots fan.”
- A.J. Brown on what excites him about playing with Drake Maye: “Everything… He can make any throw. He’s very poised.” “He took over [today’s] meeting… It says so much.” “That was impressive. I heard great things about him. That part alone tells me a lot about him.”
- A.J. Brown on choosing No. 1 instead of No. 11: “Obviously Julian Edelman. He gave me grace to wear 11, but you know, I got so much respect and so much love for him. I’m going to create my own legacy here.”
Dan Orlovsky on the Patriots after adding AJ Brown
“This will be one of the best offenses in football. I think it’s the deepest wide receiver room in the AFC right now. There are 6 guys in that wide receiver room that can flat out play…this dude kills man coverage. He kills man coverage. If you looked at New England in the playoffs, and watch what they struggled with most, they could not beat man coverage last year in the playoffs.”
OTA #2 Open Practice
Missing In Action
Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry, Kayshon Boutte, Marcus Jones, and Gabe Jacas.
George Woods, KJ Britt, Marcus Dial, and Kyle Dixon were at practice but didn’t participate. Dixon, Britt, and Dial were observed riding the stationary bike with training staff. Gabe Jacas’ absence is now believed to be injury recovery-related.
Standout Players
- Demario Douglas had another good day with 4 catches from Maye.
- Efton Chism also had 4 catches from Tommy Devito
- Drake Maye was outstanding, going 17 of 22, while Devito was 9 of 15 passing.
- Hunter Henry was another receiver who had 4 catches.
- DT Leonard Taylor had 2 Pass Deflections at the Line of Scrimmage. Last week in OTAs, he had 2 would-be sacks.
Other Notes
- Ben Brown played Left Guard when subbing in for Alijah Vera Tucker.
- Andrew Rupcich played both Guard and Center
- Top four CBs were missing
- Kobee Minor had a nice PBU that should have been an INT
- Morgan Moses appeared to get hurt early in practice, met with trainers, and left the field shortly afterward.
- Caleb Lomu took 1st team reps with Marcus Bryant subbing in with the 2nd
Christian Gonzalez a No-show Due to Lack of Progress in Contract Negotiations
Mike Vrabel on Christian Gonzalez – “I think the contract is the business and the professional side of this. The personal side, I don’t want to let anything interfere with that,” Vrabel said. “I want Christian to be ready when he comes back. I would imagine that he would be here next week. If he is, then we’ll coach him, be ready to move on, and get him ready to help us and help himself.”
“Contracts are part of professional sports, I understand that. But I also know that those should remain private. Like any contract negotiation, you want to make sure that everybody feels like they get something out of it, and I’ll leave it at that.”
As I have stated in earlier reports, Gonzalez has the same agent as All-Pro CB Devon Witherspoon. The agent is putting pressure on the Patriots to get this negotiation completed, at the highest amount, so that Witherspoon can top that amount when the bar is reset with Gonzalez’s contract.
Coach Vrabel expects Gonzalez to be there. Whether or not he participates is another thing.
Mini Camp Dates Changed
The Patriots have moved up the dates for their mini-camp. The Mini Camp is now scheduled for June 9th through 11th. They will allow the veterans to go home until Training Camp after the Mini Camp, eliminating three OTA practices. The Rookies will be asked to stay around for another week.
Joint Practices Announced
The Patriots announced they will have two Joint Practices. The first will be with the Indianapolis Colts on August 11th, ahead of their Thursday, August 13th game at Gillette. The second will be against the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, August 19th, and Thursday, August 20th, ahead of their Saturday, August 22nd, at Gillette. The Eagles’ joint practice should be interesting, given the AJ Brown trade.
Coach Vrabel Confirms Julian Hill Lost for the Year
In his press conference, head Coach Mike Vrabel stated that Julian Hill suffered a significant injury (it hasn’t been specified what happened) that will keep Hill out for the year. Vrabel went on to state that the coaching staff was very high on Hill, which was evident from the large contract he received. Reports from all the OT practices said that Hill was a far better receiver than many might have thought, and they were excited by his potential.
Now they have a big hole to fill. Jack Westover took 2nd team reps over Eli Raridon. Raidon did have 2 catches, but also reportedly looked shaky going across the middle in traffic.
Coach Raymond Berry Passes Away at Age 93
Affectionally known to his players as “Coach Coconuts” for his attention to detail, his players thought he was nuts. He led the 1985 Patriots to Super Bowl XX in a crushing loss to the Chicago Bears.
Hall of Fame Receiver
Raymond Berry, born February 27, 1933, in Corpus Christi, Texas, was a Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver and later a New England Patriots head coach who died on May 25, 2026, at age 93, according to CNS Sports.
Playing Career with the Baltimore Colts
Berry played split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, all 13 seasons. He was the top target for quarterback Johnny Unitas, forming one of the NFL’s greatest QB–WR duos of the era.
- Career stats: 631 receptions, 9,275 yards, 68 touchdowns — both NFL records at the time
- Led the league in receptions three straight years (1958–60) and receiving touchdowns twice (1958–59).
- Six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, and member of the 1950s All-Decade Team, NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and NFL 100 All-Time Team.
- His finest moment came in the 1958 NFL Championship Game (“The Greatest Game Ever Played”), catching 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown in overtime as the Colts beat the Giants 23–17.
Coaching Career
After retiring, Berry held wide receivers coaching roles with the Dallas Cowboys, University of Arkansas, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and New England Patriots.
- In 1984, he became head coach of the Patriots after Ron Meyer’s firing.
- Led the team to Super Bowl XX in 1985, falling to the Bears 46–10 CBS Sports+1.
- Finished his five-and-a-half seasons as head coach with a 48–39 record and earned UPI Coach of the Year honors in both 1985 and 1986.
Legacy
CBS Sports cites Berry’s rise from a 20th-round draft pick with poor eyesight, a back brace, and one leg shorter than the other to NFL legend, he’s considered one of football’s most unlikely Cinderella stories. Known for his near-perfect route running and sure hands, he rarely dropped a pass and fumbled only twice in his career, per WBUR.
His No. 82 was retired by the Colts, and he is honored in the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor. Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon called him “one of the most influential and foundational players of the modern NFL”.
“Raymond Berry holds a special place in Patriots history,” team owner Robert Kraft said. “He led our franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance following a remarkable playoff run, a milestone that was the greatest achievement in team history at the time.”
Berry’s impact as both a player and coach endures as a symbol of perseverance, excellence, and the evolution of the modern NFL.
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Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
