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To win games in the NFL, especially at the highest level, you need a reliable top wide receiver. A.J. Brown has been that for the Philadelphia Eagles ever since they traded for him in 2022 to become a top weapon for Jalen Hurts.
Together, Hurts, Brown, and the rest of a star-studded Philadelphia offense have made three playoff trips, including two Super Bowl appearances and one title. There's little reason to complain for members of the Eagles, one of the best teams of the past few years — unless you're Brown.
The star receiver has been a bit of a distraction to the team away from the field throughout his time in Philadelphia, often expressing his issues with the role he has in the offense through social media or comments to reporters. While Brown's play has almost always been elite enough to overshadow his theatrics, he's found himself in headlines often for how he describes his play, the team's play, and how they can get better.
Here's a full timeline of Brown's off-the-field drama with the Eagles.
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A.J. Brown timeline of drama with Eagles
Chemistry issues with Jalen Hurts
A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts were known to be close from the moment they became teammates in 2022. After the trade sending Brown to the Eagles became official, Hurts shared a clip of him FaceTiming Brown, where the two laughed together in clear excitement.
"Let's do it, boy," Brown said.
For the most part, the pairing has worked out exactly as anticipated. Brown had 1,496 yards in 2022, then another 1,456 yards in 2023 as the go-to weapon in Philadelphia's offense. However, after the Eagles added a dynamic talent at running back in Saquon Barkley in 2024, things began to change for Brown a bit, and with that, questions about his relationship with Hurts followed.
In Week 14 of the 2024 season, Brown had just 43 receiving yards, while Hurts threw for just 108 yards against the Carolina Panthers. The team had built a run-focused attack behind Barkley, but those passing struggles were too significant to ignore.
With Brown's numbers falling, he appeared frustrated at multiple points. Then defensive end Brandon Graham, a longtime Eagle who was on injured reserve at the time, added some fuel to the fire when asked on a Philadelphia radio show if Brown and Hurts were still close friends.
"They was friends before this, it's like, man. But things have changed," Graham said. "And I understand that, because life happens. ... We need to be able to talk things out as men."
@bleacherreport Brandon Graham chimes in on Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown’s relationship 😬 (via SportsRadioWIP/X) #nfl #football #eagles #jalenhurts #ajbrown ♬ original sound - bleacherreportGraham later apologized for those comments, and Hurts and Brown both downplayed them. The Eagles helped mask any issues anyway, as Brown finished with 110 yards and a touchdown the next game against the Steelers in Week 15, then the team went on to win Super Bowl 59.
In the 2025 season though, questions over the Hurts-Brown relationship resurfaced as the receiver's numbers continued to fall.
Both players have verbally committed to doing whatever it takes to help the Eagles win, but even when the team has won and Brown didn't put up high numbers, he's expressed frustrations.
Brown said after Week 4 of the 2025 season that he and Hurts are "always trying to just get better," and in meetings, they're "talking and talking through things," per The Athletic.
"I trust my coaches,” Brown said. “I trust Jalen to get this thing figured out. We’re working towards it. We see it at times, it’s just inconsistent. It’s starting to be consistent. And that’s where the frustration comes.”
Asked about his relationship with Brown around that time, Hurts said "it's good."
"We share a great passion for this game and we’re focused on this week," Hurts said, per The Athletic. "You try to play the game, you try to play the position, and you try to go out there and execute, and you approach it that way.”
Brown also previously said on a podcast, per The Athletic, that he and Hurts are “two alphas who want to be the best and demand greatness from each other and everyone around us.”
Because Brown's production on the field depends on Hurts, the relationship between the receiver and quarterback has been under the spotlight in recent seasons. Even with both being among the best players at their position, they haven't always been in rhythm on the field. At times, the Brown-Hurts pairing has been dominant, but at others, they look to be on different pages.
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Reading a book on the sideline
During the 2024 playoffs, when the Eagles were on the way to the Super Bowl, Brown was spotted by cameras reading a book on the sideline during the Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Many took it as a sign that he was frustrated with his role in the offense, but Brown went on to say that he read "Inner Excellence" on the sidelines every game, liking the message it helps him focus on to play.
"For me, this game is mental. ... I always go back to that book," Brown said. "I'm doing it every drive."
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 13, 2025While Brown drew some criticism from fans and media for making it look like he was uninterested in the game, he said he had always read the book for motivation on the sidelines, and it just so happened cameras had caught him doing so during the playoff game.
"I wasn't frustrated at all. I figured that's what y'all probably thought," Brown said the Eagles' victory over the Packers, per ESPN. "Why do you always think I be frustrated? Dang. I like to read."
The book Brown was reading went on to see an increase in sales thanks to his publicity:
The book AJ Brown was reading on the bench is up over 53 MILLION percent on Amazon 🤯📈
Here’s how the Eagles star changed another man’s life FOREVER 🧵 pic.twitter.com/1or5gfu5qu
Brown also met the author of the book, Jim Murphy, for an interview with ESPN:
AJ Brown met with Jim Murphy, the author of the book Inner Excellence today at the Eagles Novacare Complex for an interview with ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio.
📸 Sal Pal pic.twitter.com/nkbx72zSM0
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Post after Super Bowl saying he's not satisfied
Even a Super Bowl ring didn't appear to suppress Brown's public desires to be the best possible player he can be. On Feb. 9, 2025, the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans, with Hurts, Brown, and company winning their first individual titles and the team's second-ever Super Bowl. Brown had 43 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Just three days later, on Feb. 12, 2025, Brown took to social media to share something that was on his mind: He didn't feel satisfied by winning a Super Bowl.
"I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all. It wasn’t," Brown wrote on Instagram. "My thrill for this game comes when i dominate. It’s the Hunt that does it for me. ... I love putting smiles on peoples faces, don’t get me wrong but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s the journey that I love the most."
In some ways, that "never satisfied" mentality was a good thing for the Eagles — a motivated Brown can be one of the best players in football.
But in others, that post wound up being a sign of things to come in the 2025 season, when the receiver continue to have gripes about his role on the field despite the team's success.
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Cryptic social media post after Week 4 of 2025 season
Brown's involvement in the Eagles' offense quickly became a storyline in 2025. Not only was Barkley off to a slow start in the run game, but Hurts wasn't getting his star receiver going; Brown had eight receiving yards in Week 1, then 27 yards in Week 2. Both were Eagles wins, though.
While Brown's 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams quieted things for a moment, his struggles returned in Week 4, when the Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25. Brown had two catches for seven yards in the win.
Brown made a social media post after Week 4 quoting scripture that read: "If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
Of course, many took the post as a sign that the receiver was discontent with his role in the offense. Afterwards, he told reporters that he let his frustrations "boil over," but the post "truly wasn’t directed at anyone in the building."
"The tweet wasn’t directed at anyone because I am listened to,” Brown said, per The Athletic. “Like I said, I have an open communication with my coaches. ... I want that pressure, I put it on myself, and I work hard for it. And so, and that’s what the … misconstrued, whatever perspective.”
Brown added that "it's normal to have frustrations because of the standard that we hold ourselves to" with the talent in Philadelphia's offense, per CBS Sports.
That, however, would not be Brown's last cryptic social media post of the 2025 season.
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'Using me but not using me' post
Even after Philadelphia’s Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, when Brown posted a season-high 121 yards, he shared a post to Instagram with the caption, "Using me but not using me."
That caption was much more directly about his role on the team than his last cryptic social media post, causing more uproar in the Eagles' fanbase.
Teammates declined to interpret Brown's social media posts, as Hurts said "I just keep my focus singularly on the collective," and Devonta Smith said "It’s none of my business," according to The Athletic.
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Trade rumors ahead of 2025 deadline, declining numbers
Between Brown's social media posts indicating his discontent with the Eagles, and his struggling production despite the team continuing to win games, he became a highly speculated trade candidate at the 2025 trade deadline. However, even if Brown wasn't happy with his role, those rumors got shut down by him and reporters rather quickly.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Oct. 25 that the Eagles were "not expected" to trade Brown, although teams were still "eyeing" the receiver. Schefter also reported that the Eagles "would be willing to listen to any trade offer" but it would take a "blockbuster offer" for them to make the move.
They didn't move Brown at the deadline, as was anticipated. He signed a $96 million extension in the 2024 offseason that keeps him under contract with the Eagles through the 2029 season, and in every opportunity to speak publicly about the Eagles, Brown has said he wants to stay with the franchise.
“This is home,” Brown said in early October 2025, per The Athletic. “This is my home. Unfortunately, I did it to myself. I won’t even say unfortunately. I did it to myself. But this is my home. Man, I love it here. But you just see frustration because obviously we want to be great. Most definitely, I want to be great as well.”
Still, the reports indicated there was a non-zero chance the Eagles would have traded Brown, which isn't typically the case with star wide receivers on winning teams at the trade deadline.
Whether Brown is ever traded by the Eagles remains to be seen, but when he had just 395 receiving yards in seven games by the 2025 deadline, the possibility was real.
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Appearance on stream saying 'get rid of me' in fantasy
While appearing on a Twitch stream with JankyRondo in November 2025, Brown continued to comment about his situation with the Eagles.
Brown said that fantasy managers should "get rid" of him, and said several times that his production in the Madden game the two were playing was better than his production on the field this season. When asked if everything was "good," he said he's been "struggling"
AJ Brown: “If you got me on Fantasy, get rid of me.” pic.twitter.com/dmrEr0zIJU
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) November 12, 2025For the third time in the 2025 season, Brown's comments away from the field riled up Philadelphia's fanbase, with the Eagles sitting at 7-2 and among the best teams in football. The week prior, Brown had two catches for 13 yards in a win over the Packers.
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Follows-up on streaming comments, calls out Eagles' offense
After his comments on the Twitch stream went viral, Brown responded in a big way soon after. Speaking with reporters, the receiver said his frustrations weren't just because of his stats, but also that the offense wasn't doing a good enough job.
"Week after week, we’re not doing our job as an offense," Brown said. "You can’t keep slapping a band-aid over it and expect to win late in the year. I don't care if I'm misunderstood, we gotta continue to get better."
Brown also mentioned that he was grateful for the Super Bowl the season prior, but discontent with the performance in 2025.
"Last year is what it was, thank you for the ring, but it's a new season," Brown said. "We have to adapt, and we have to continue to get better and find new ways. So that's where the frustration comes in, cause it's not about winning, you guys, like I want to win, yes, I wanna help contribute as well."
AJ Brown says thank you very much for the ring, but this is a new season. He says defenses have adapted to the Eagles offense and they have to adapt and get better. AJ wants to contribute more and be a reason why the Eagles offense gets better pic.twitter.com/9D1ZU1YVHS
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 12, 2025Here's the full eight minutes Brown spoke about the Eagles offense to reporters:
Here is AJ Brown’s full media availability from today pic.twitter.com/vfYFErgj82
— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) November 12, 2025MORE: Who owns the Eagles?
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