FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Newly acquired tight end Dwayne Allen had a good laugh during his introductory conference call Friday when asked about making the transition from the Indianapolis Colts to the New England Patriots.

"I never thought that a Colt could get traded here," he said of the intense rivalry between the teams, "but I knew that it was possible for Colts to come here. I’m excited to be here, man. It’s been very refreshing meeting everyone in the building and just learning about the culture that makes this organization great."

Allen cited former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne as one example of a player who made the same transition, even if it was just for "a cup of coffee [in 2015 for two weeks]." Allen's stay will assuredly be longer -- he's signed through the 2019 season -- and he said he looks forward to returning to the area in April for the start of the offseason program.

For now, he'll head back to his alma mater at Clemson University, which is where he was when he first learned of the trade to the Patriots. After overcoming the "initial shock" of the deal, Allen -- who had nice things to say about his five years with the Colts -- said he became excited. The Patriots acquired him and a sixth-round draft choice on Wednesday from the Colts -- under a new front-office regime as Chris Ballard has replaced Ryan Grigson at general manager -- in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

Asked about fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski, Allen called him "the best tight end in the National Football League" before adding "there is a lot that I can learn from him."

As for quarterback Tom Brady, he relayed that he long has been an admirer.

"To have the opportunity to work with him and learn from him is an honor," Allen said, having earlier added that he aims to become the best blocker on his team. "Most guys dream about opportunities just to work with a ‘GOAT,’ as the term has been thrown around now."

Allen probably won over some Patriots already as his tweet after the 2014 AFC Championship Game -- the contest that sparked Deflategate, a controversy Allen dismissed on Twitter -- have been revisited. But that wasn't a topic Allen cared to expound upon on Friday.

"That situation is in the past and I would much rather just move forward and talk about the present, talk about me joining the New England Patriots, if that’s all right," he said politely.

"One thing that I’ve caught on to early is Coach [Bill] Belichick’s saying of, ‘The more you can do.’ I’m just about winning. I want to win and I understand that the more skills I can provide the offense, then hopefully the more mismatches that can be created for myself and other players. That’s what I’m about. I’m excited to be utilized as a football player again and not be confined to any box, but just to be a football player, a tight end."