After months of speculation, A.J. Brown was officially traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New England Patriots on June 1.
Brown's highlights during his four seasons with the Eagles are obvious -- two Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl title.
The 28-year-old wide receiver wore out his stay in Philadelphia though and many Eagles followers aren't disappointed to see him go.
That includes Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who compared Brown's exit to former Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Wentz's trade out of the City of Brotherly Love in March 2021.
"A.J. Brown now is a Patriot, an ironic misnomer since he’s such an obvious traitor," the sports columnist wrote. "Philadelphians generally seem relieved that Brown’s diva act no longer will be a distraction for a perennial title contender. That’s just A.J. fatigue. What he has done is no better than what Carson Wentz did five years ago: hamstrung his franchise, dissed the fan base, and hung his teammates out to dry."
Brown inked a three-year, $96 million contract extension with the Eagles in April 2024, 10 months before Philadelphia won Super Bowl LIX, but "spent most of the next two years complaining," according to Hayes.
"His main complaint: His skills were being wasted in an Eagles offense designed by (head coach) Nick Sirianni and quarterbacked by Jalen Hurts, even though it was potent enough to win Super Bowl LIX," he wrote.
The Eagles and Patriots will take part in a joint practice in August, which will surely have the attention of NFL fans across the country.
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