Trent Brown, Patriots players seem fired up about OL's return

Trent Brown really wanted to play for the New England Patriots again, it appears.

The Patriots reportedly agreed to a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders Tuesday morning to acquire the veteran offensive tackle, who returns to New England after winning a Super Bowl with the team in 2018.

Brown confirmed the news in a pair of Instagram posts that suggest he's excited about the reunion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMMtTpYh6R9 https://www.instagram.com/p/CMMuPGgha_L

That second post features Brown and longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who worked with Brown in 2018 and apparently is the GOAT in the 27-year-old's eyes.

Unfortunately for Brown, Scarnecchia retired after the 2019 season, with assistants Cole Popovich and Carmen Bricillo taking over offensive line duties in 2020. So, either Brown knows something we don't about another Scarnecchia comeback, or (more likely) he's just paying tribute to a coaching legend on his way back to New England.

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Brown's new Patriots teammates seem to approve of the move, too. Offensive guard Shaq Mason was all smiles Tuesday morning after learning his 2018 line partner was coming back.

😁

— Shaq Mason (@ShaqDiesel_70) March 9, 2021

Patriots cornerbacks Jonathan Jones ("Yessir ?✊?") and J.C. Jackson ("I swea ???") also commented their approval on Brown's first Instagram post.

Brown reportedly restructured his contract to agree to a one-year, $11 million deal with New England instead of playing out the two years and $29.5 million remaining on his Raiders deal, so he's also taking a pay cut to return to Foxboro.

The Patriots may have trouble recruiting top talent in the post-Tom Brady era, but for a player like Brown who won a Super Bowl with Bill Belichick two seasons ago, New England is still a prime destination.