PHILADELPHIA — The past two years of A.J. Brown’s career would make for a good soap opera.
At every turn, Philadelphia’s star wide receiver has been embroiled in drama.
Brown said last season the Eagles’ passing offense was an issue, sparking controversy between him and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. But after the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX, that noise dissipated.
Until now.
After just catching two passes for seven yards in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown declined to speak with reporters and posted cryptic tweets on X to show his displeasure.
The first one: “I love y’all with all my heart.”
The second came directly from Mark 6:11 in the Bible: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
On Wednesday, Brown claimed the second tweet was not directed at Hurts or offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. The intent behind his post remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: Brown needs to get the ball more or he will explode.
“I don’t blame him for handling it the way he handled it,” Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith told NJ Advance Media. “He wants the ball. Nothing wrong with that.”
Brown said during training camp that his goal was to be the best wide receiver in the NFL, but earning that recognition will be difficult after only amassing 14 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown in the first four weeks.
Aside from personal aspirations, Brown said he wants to increase his catches because he can carry Philadelphia’s 31st-ranked passing offense and be the solution to its problems.
“He should be frustrated,” Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson said. “If you want me to be completely honest, he’s the biggest part of our passing offense. So when he’s not getting the ball, he should be frustrated. A lot of our pass offense revolves around him winning, and he wins a lot. And to not be able to get the fruits of that labor, it’s tough.”
Some people have called Brown’s actions selfish, but his teammates disagree with that assessment.
“At least he shows emotion,” Eagles cornerback Adoree’ Jackson said. “He could go out there and not get the ball and act like he don’t give a damn, and then that would be concerning, so at the end of the day, we’d be talking about the story if he was mad or he wasn’t. But I think he’s a selfless person. He cares about the team, and he cares about his guys. He’s just trying to make everybody better, and showing emotion is a good thing.”
Wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. said the criticism of Brown is unfair.
“It’s okay with me if somebody expresses their feelings,” Marshall said. “I can’t dehumanize him because I have feelings for myself. I feel like he is not a distraction to the team.”
Despite the backlash, Dotson likes that Brown “speaks up” when he is mad.
“I applaud him in every sense,” Dotson said. “And he knows things are going to get better. He knows it. He knows things are going to get right, we’re going to get going. It’s just a matter of when.”
Considered one of the team’s hardest workers, Brown has not let his frustrations change that.
“He came in here Monday and put the work in like it didn’t even happen,” Dotson said. “Came in the weight room, got his work done, came out here (this week) and went hard at practice. He’s definitely a guy that I look up to in that regard because he is a professional.”
Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata said the team addressed Brown’s social media posts and have moved forward to their Week 5 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Inside the Eagles’ locker room, Brown is a beloved captain and teammate. A social media outburst didn’t change that.
“For me, I absolutely love A.J. Brown,” running back Will Shipley said. “He wants to dominate. That’s what he wants to do. There are a lot of guys on this team who want to do the same thing. Yeah, we’re 4-0, but everybody around here isn’t happy with where we are in terms of knowing how much better we can get and recognizing the potential we have. I would just ask anybody with a different opinion to look at it from that one and kind of take that perspective, and just understand everything that he’s given and just what type of leader he is around here.”
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