The Patriots' reported trade for Trent Brown was a hit with at least one New England offensive lineman.
Right guard Shaq Mason expressed his excitement on Twitter after the early-morning trade, which will send Brown back to Foxboro after two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Brown was part of the Patriots' 2018 Super Bowl championship team, starting all 16 games at left tackle that season. His play in 2018 earned him a monster four-year, $66 million contract with the Raiders, who dealt him away Tuesday as they scramble to get beneath the shrinking NFL salary cap.
It remains to be seen how the Patriots deploy Brown in his second go-round. Will he play left tackle and bump the injury-plagued Isaiah Wynn, New England's primary starter for the last two seasons, to guard? Or will he align next to Mason at right tackle, where he played at a high level for the Raiders?
The 27-year-old Brown, who always spoke highly of his time in New England, celebrated his return Tuesday morning, posting a photo of himself at the Patriots' Super Bowl parade with the caption: "I LOVE IT HERE !!"
The Patriots and Raiders reportedly will swap Day 3 draft picks in 2022 in the Brown deal, which cannot be finalized until the NFL league year opens March 17.
