The New England Patriots traded for A.J. Brown this offseason, and his relationship with Jalen Hurts was reportedly one of the reasons he wanted out of Philadelphia.
After being traded to the Patriots, Brown did an interview with Maria Taylor. In that interview, he confirmed that he and Hurts were not as close as they once were. Brown noted that people simply grow apart, but it was evident that he was frustrated on the field at times. A new report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Sarah Barshop, Mike Reiss, Daniel Oyefusi and Tim McManus sheds some light on Brown's frustrations.
"A good bit of his angst stemmed from the play of Hurts, league sources said, in part because of Hurts' perceived reluctance to target Brown on tight-window throws against zone coverage," wrote ESPN on Monday.
Brown is a three-time Pro Bowler and helped the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl. He is clearly a productive player, but apparently, he felt like he could have been even more involved in the Eagles' offense. He posted at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last four seasons, but his numbers had been slightly declining.
Last season, he had just 1,003 yards. Brown is an elite receiver and he knows it. He wants the ball in his hands, and if Hurts was not getting it to him, it makes sense that he was frustrated. While the Patriots do have Romeo Doubs, he does not pose the same threat to Brown's target share as DeVonta Smith did.
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