New England Patriots - NESN.com
As the New England Patriots cut down their roster to the league-mandated 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, there’s a new name on the open market for the team to consider.
“More line changes in Houston: Texans are releasing veteran offensive lineman Trent Brown,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday on X.
The Patriots’ offensive line remains a work in progress, so it’s possible Brown could be brought back to Foxboro, Mass. to help protect second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
New England acquired Brown from the San Francisco 49ers in April of 2018. He started 16 games at left tackle that season and did the dirty work up front to help quarterback Tom Brady lead the Patriots to victory in Super Bowl LIII.
After the season, Brown signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Oakland Raiders. He played two seasons for the Silver and Black and earned Pro Bowl honors following the 2019 season.
The Raiders traded Brown back to the Patriots in March of 2021 and he played three more seasons in New England.
Brown left for the Bengals before the 2024 season but he played in just three games before landing on injured reserve with a torn patellar tendon.
The 32-year-old signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Texans in March. He spent the summer on Houston’s active/PUP list trying to rehab from the patellar injury.
“Brown being nearly recovered is certainly notable, as it could lead to another chance given his history as a starter,” Pro Football Rumors’ Sam Robinson noted Tuesday. “Brown has made 96 starts, including three to open last season with the Bengals. Brown had spent the previous three years back in New England, after Las Vegas conducted an O-line makeover in 2021 that involved shedding a big-ticket Brown contract. Brown did not live up to the Raiders deal but became a regular again with the Patriots, starting at both LT and RT during his second stint.”
KPRC2 insider Aaron Wilson reported last month Brown was medically cleared to resume football activities.
