Ahead of their preseason game on Saturday, August 22nd, the New England Patriots are hosting the Philadelphia Eagles for a pair of joint practices. That, of course, creates a potentially emotional situation for players like A.J. Brown and Milton Williams, with ties to the Eagles.
Brown went through a well-documented divorce with the Eagles over the course of the 2025 season and the following offseason. That ended with longstanding trade rumors, before he was eventually moved to the Patriots on June 1st. Meanwhile, Williams left the Eagles following the 2024 season in free agency, landing in New England on a $104 million contract.
Both Brown and Williams won a Super Bowl in 2024 with the Eagles when they were a key piece of the team. Now, they’re trying to recreate that success with the Patriots.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Addressed the Emotions for A.J. Brown, Milton Williams
GettyNew England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Ahead of the first day of joint practices, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the media. There, he emphasized that both A.J. Brown and Milton Williams are professionals and that whatever emotions might go into playing their former team won’t hurt their performance.
“Milt played there, A.J. played there,” Vrabel said. “I mean, I think these guys are professionals. They’ve shown that they want to practice for us. I’m sure there’s some added feelings for them, but I’m not gonna try to explain what those are. Those are their feelings. Again, they’re a part of our team. We’re really excited to have both of those guys. They’ve practiced hard, whether it was against us or against the Colts. I’m sure we’ll see great efforts from both of them today against the Eagles.”
Despite that, Vrabel did acknowledge that the Eagles are still an excellent team. That makes these practices a good way of seeing where the Patriots are at right now, with Vrabel saying it “will be a really good measuring stick.”
Brown and Williams at Patriots-Eagles Joint Practice
GettyNew England Patriots defensive lineman Milton Williams talks to Nick Sirianni
All eyes were on the Patriots and Eagles on Wednesday when the two met for the first of their joint practices. In particular, fans wanted to keep an eye on what A.J. Brown was able to do against an excellent Philadelphia secondary.
Early on, Brown was matched up against Quinyon Mitchell for the Eagles. Fans were ready to explode when he nearly reeled in a one-handed catch in tight coverage, but Brown just missed bringing it in. Later, Brown would get his win, making a spectacular catch on the sideline. He would go on to play very well in 11-on-11s, so maybe Brown did have a little extra motivation against his old team.
Williams, meanwhile, was caught flipping off the Eagles during practice. He had a smile on his face, though, and seemed to be joking with his old teammates.
The Patriots still have their preseason game to come against the Eagles on Saturday. It’s not clear how much key players like Brown and Williams can expect to play then. So, this is their best time to compete against another team, testing themselves for the season.
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