Playing football runs in Ben Brown’s blood. Literally, the New England Patriots offensive lineman became the seventh member of his family to play at Ole Miss, doing so from 2017 to 21. This Sunday, he will become the second member of his family to play in a Super Bowl and potentially the second to win one.
Brown’s grandfather, Allen Brown, was a tight end for the Green Bay Packers and part of the team that won Super Bowls I and II under legendary coach Vince Lombardi, after whom the game’s trophy is now named.
As a child growing up in Vicksburg, Brown only knew his grandfather as “Papa.” He was aware of Papa’s success on the gridiron, but it’s not what he remembers him for.
“Allen Brown was a beacon of the community. He was such a great man and great Christian. When I was growing up, Papa would not even talk about the NFL or the Super Bowls as much,” Brown recounted during an appearance on SportsTalk Mississippi. “We were kind of like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s cool. Papa played in the Super Bowl because that’s the kind of man he was. He was a humble man who cared about his children and his grandchildren and never wanted the spotlight to be on him.”
Even though Brown’s grandfather never liked to brag, Brown would often grab his Super Bowl rings and slip them on, imagining what it would be like to win one himself. But with an up-and-down NFL career that only recently stabilized, it was unclear whether that dream would ever pan out.
“I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet,” said Brown, who played for four teams in three years before signing with the Patriots midway through the 2024-25 season. “It’s been a very long journey. There’s been a lot of adversity I’ve had to face. My NFL career has not been a typical one.”
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Brown’s journey includes going undrafted in 2022, signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, and suffering an injury in his first preseason game. He was then cut multiple times before landing in New England in October 2024. He played his way into signing a two-year deal in December, the first multi-year deal of his career.
According to Brown, what’s helped him through it all is the faith that members of his family, as Papa instilled in him.
“Really, what’s helped me persevere is my relationship with Christ for giving me the strength to endure some of the hardships I’ve faced. My NFL path wasn’t always clear, and now, God has blessed me with the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl,” he explained.
Brown started 10 games for the Patriots in 2024-25 and then four more this season. While he’s taken on a mostly backup role, the consistency and energy he brings to the locker room are something an otherwise historic franchise needed, in part, to climb its way back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018 when Tom Brady was behind center, and Bill Belichick was on the sidelines.
Under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have quickly reshaped from a 4-13 team last season to a 14-3 team that is one win away from hoisting the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy. Led by quarterback Drake Maye and a roster stacked with veteran and young talent, Brown said it has been a lockstep effort among the 53 active players and practice squad guys to get back to the Super Bowl.
“It’s been a tremendous season,” he said. “I think we have a lot of great players on our team and a lot of great coaches, as well. I think Coach Vrabel did a great job of really establishing an identity for this team early on in training camp and early in the spring and in OTAs this summer. That has paid dividends for us this season, because we have a standard that we’re going to practice and we’re going to perform to every single Sunday.
“I’m so very grateful for this opportunity to play on a team with guys that will be brothers for the rest of my life and for such an amazing group of coaches. It’s truly been a season I will remember forever.”
Brown and the Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks (14–3) in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m. CT at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game will air on NBC.