Kendrick Bourne has a message for Patriots teammate, impending free agent Trent Brown

Related: J.C. Jackson not the only Patriots starter set to enter free agency in March

The New England Patriots have 18 players set to enter free agency next, with starting right tackle Trent Brown among them. Whether or not Brown will stay put and re-sign with the Patriots remains to be seen, but one of his teammates is making sure he will not let the veteran blocker go without a fight.

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne took to Instagram earlier this week to share a picture of Brown’s jersey with a simple message attached to it:

U better come back big bro!!! @trent

After already spending the 2018 season with the Patriots, Brown returned to New England via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders last year. He went on to start all 10 games he appeared in during his 2021 campaign, including the Patriots’ playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Now, however, Brown is headed for an uncertain future. As part of the trade to New England, he restructured his contract to get another crack at free agency. Whether or not he will take advantage of it and leave the franchise again — he already did so after the 2018 season when he joined the Raiders — will be decided by mid-March.