Troy Brown to work in skill development after getting replaced as Patriots wide receivers coach

Brown had coached wide receivers for the Patriots the last three seasons.

As part of the New England Patriots reconstructing their offensive coaching staff this offseason, Troy Brown was replaced as the team’s wide receivers coach. Nonetheless, the 52-year-old was given the opportunity to remain with the organization in a different role.

Brown indeed decided to stay, and on Monday head coach Jerod Mayo revealed what his new job would look like. Moving forward, Brown will work in skill development.

“Troy’s still on the staff. He has a skills development role with our staff going forward,” Mayo said during the coaches’ breakfast at the NFL annual meeting in Orlando, FL. “He’ll work with the players. He’ll work with the skill players, and also work with the scheme on the offensive side of the ball. So, he’s still with us.”

What exactly Brown’s role will encompass remains to be seen, but he does bring considerable playing and coaching experience to his new gig.

An eighth-round selection in the 1993 NFL Draft, Brown spent his entire 15-year career in New England. One of the most productive players in franchise history, the veteran wide receiver retired a three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time Pro Bowler. Later, he was voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame and to the organization’s 50th Anniversary Team.

In 2016, eight years after his retirement, he returned to the Patriots via the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship. He was back with the team three years later, before officially joining Bill Belichick’s staff as running backs and kick returners coach in 2020.

After one year in that role, Brown began working with the wide receivers and kick returners — a position he held for the next three seasons. However, with Belichick leaving the team following the 2023 season, and with Alex Van Pelt being hired as the team’s new offensive coordinator, the team decided to replace him on their coaching staff.

Tyler Hughes and Tiquan Underwood were hired as wide receivers and assistant wide receivers coach, respectively. No kick returners coach was announced under new special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer.

Those additions made Brown’s status uncertain. He will still have a role with the Patriots in 2024, though.

Brown will not be the only member of the team’s staff to be responsible for skill development. Joe Kim, whose main responsibility is working with the defensive line as director of skill development, was also retained under new head coach Jerod Mayo.