The Philadelphia Eagles pulled the plug on A.J. Brown after an eventful 2025-26 season.
The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver’s numbers dipped this past season after he helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in 2025. Brown was vocal about his issues with the offense, complaining that he felt he wasn’t being utilized to the best of his abilities.
The Eagles ultimately decided to ship Brown off. They traded him to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. This ended the Mississippi product’s four-year tenure in Philly.
The trade sent shockwaves across the NFL. Eagles icon Jason Kelce has now shared his thoughts on the move as the Super Bowl-winning center discussed the discord between Brown and the team.
Jason Kelce looks on before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals.
Jason Kelce chimes in on A.J. Brown-Eagles drama
Kelce spent his entire career with the Eagles. The seven-time Pro Bowler played 13 years for Philadelphia during a decorated NFL career. Kelce, more than anyone, knows how the Eagles operate. The 38-year-old shared his honest thoughts on the Brown-Eagles saga.
“How does a relationship like this start to falter?” Kelce said on the latest episode of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Travis Kelce. “It’s because you don’t have success on the field. You stop executing as a team, and you stop executing as players.
“The Eagles’ offense continued to decline as a passing game. The run game stalled out last year due to injuries and other factors. Execution fuels emotion, and when you’re not performing, frustration sets in. That’s the reality of the league.
“Do I wish A.J. would have handled it better at times? Yes. But I don’t fault him for being frustrated that he wasn’t getting what he wanted out of the game and out of playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Kelce then went into Brown’s fallout with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“At one point, A.J. and Jalen didn’t have an issue in 2022 when they had the most explosive offense in the NFL,” Kelce continued. “When they played in the Super Bowl, even though they lost, they put up huge numbers.
“It only started happening once teams got a read on them. They didn’t adjust well. Whatever the reason, there are a litany of factors that could have caused the Eagles’ offense to decline over the last three years. That’s why this has happened.”
Jason shared his thoughts on the AJ Brown trade, and how we got to this point pic.twitter.com/6DsmzE5fju
— New Heights (@newheightshow) June 4, 2026
The Eagles and the Brown have now moved on. They both get to start with a clean slate heading into the 2026 season. Kelce pointed out, however, that there’s a lot of pressure on the team this year.
“Now they get the chance to reinvent themselves into the explosive offense they can be under Kevin Patullo,” said the Eagles legend. “This is a big year for Jalen. It’s a big year for the Eagles’ offense.
“They just lost one of their best players. They drafted a young kid in Makai Lemon who seems like the real deal and appears to fit the offense very well. They still have DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert, a great offensive line as long as they’re healthy, and Jalen Hurts.
“They still have plenty of talent to work with. Now we get to see what it looks like with a fresh offensive start.”