Trent Brown reportedly signing a one-year deal with Bengals

FOXBORO -- Trent Brown has found a new football home. The former Patriots left tackle will now protect quarterback Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.

Brown is reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Bengals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The veteran lineman was in Cincinnati for a visit on Tuesday, and is apparently not leaving The Queen City without a contract.

The Bengals plan to move Brown to right tackle, with Orlando Brown remaining at left tackle, according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

The Patriots did not offer Brown a contract after last season, as he ended his second stint with the team in disappointing fashion. It was a tumultuous season for Brown from start to finish, and he played in just 11 games for New England in 2023 (making eight starts) and was on the field for just over half of the team's offensive snaps. He vocally criticized the team after Malik Cunningham was claimed off waivers, and was then a healthy scratch late in the season for New England's Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

When Bill Belichick was asked about Brown's absence that weekend, the head coach made it clear that the lineman didn't want to be part of the team anymore.

"We activated the players who wanted to play," Belichick responded after the team's 27-21 loss.   

Brown previously played for the Patriots in 2018 and was a big part of the team's march to a Super Bowl LIII victory, opening up massive holes for New England's stout rushing attack throughout the postseason. He signed a big money deal with the Raiders that following offseason, but rejoined the Patriots via trade ahead of the 2021 season. 

The 30-year-old will now try to protect one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Burrow, as Cincinnati looks to regain its footing as a Super Bowl contender following a 9-8 season in 2024.