A. J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles could have had a better season than the one they had. Fresh out of winning the previous Super bowl, the franchise only managed to have a decent 11-6 record in the regular season.
After the poor season they had, the franchise has decided to part ways with the wide receiver. After months of waiting, he has been traded to the New England Patriots. He was recently cricitized by a former Eagles legend.
Jon Ritchie accuses A. J. Brown’s Patriots admiration
Brown was traded to the Patriots in for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection going to the Eagles. As the deal was completed after June 1, it will allow the Eagles to spread Brown’s cap charges over two seasons. His trade comes after previous reports suggested friction with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
After his trade, Brown showed his love for the Patriots during his introductory media availability. He admitted that he used to be a supporter of Tom Brady, and called the Patriots his “childhood team”. He also added, “I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.”
After he expressed his admiration for the franchise, many felt his reaction was exaggerated. One of them was former Eagles fullback and current 94.1 WIP morning show co-host Jon Ritchie. He previously played for the Eagles from 2003–2004 and expressed skepticism over Brown’s actual feelings for the Patriots.
During an episode of the WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara, Ritchie said, “You can’t possibly be this attached to this organization… It really does feel like it’s making a mockery of the whole process.” and added, “He gave up on us. He gave up on his teammates. I will forever hold that against him.” After his exit from the franchise, the Eagles dressing room has mixed opinions about it.
A. J. Brown’s old teammate reacts on trade
After his trade was completed, Brown’s previous teammates had mixed reactions to it. Some, including Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell felt saddened for his exit. However, Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata felt relief as the trade saga was over. He said, “I think this is more of a, it sounds terrible, but like, thank God it’s over. It was a slow pain of just, is he in, is he out? We didn’t really know, and that really wasn’t our focus as a team, our team, especially on offense.”
He added, “Yes, we can move on now. I think most of us that have been here the last six weeks, we have moved on, just from, we have enough to worry about.”
A. J. Brown will now have to prepare for the 2026 NFL season with the New England Patriots.