Brown out

A.J. may be gone. The questions about where the relationship with the WR went south have just gotten started

There were no sit-ups in the front yard this time. No helicopters hovering over a South Jersey home and no constant wondering if the franchise wide receiver had fallen off the deep end.

Perhaps it is the truest sign of how times have changed since Terrell Owens meltdown took place in the summer of 2005 is the fact that none of that spectacle had to happen. All that was needed was a Twitch stream from a gamer and a variety of well placed stories in the “traditional” media for A.J. Brown to get his ticket out of Philadelphia.

The worst kept secret in athletics was finished around 4:30 on Monday when Brown was officially shipped off to Foxboro for the Patriots first round pick in 2028 and a fifth round selection in 2027.

Let’s start with the obvious: it’s a good deal for both on paper. Brown goes to a Super Bowl contender where he doesn’t have to share the spotlight with another alpha dog receiver and a premier running back. The Patriots give Drake Maye a legitimate weapon. The Eagles get cap room, a No. 1 draft pick and - at least in theory- much less drama and rumormongering coming out of their clubhouse.

All of those are side issues, however. The real question is this: why did it get to this point after four years, two Super Bowl appearances and a ring back in 2024?

In other words, why was Brown unhappy here when he had four 1,000 yard seasons and a pathway to the Hall of Fame seeming within his grasp?

That last part is important here. Remember the Instagram post that Brown had sent out roughly 48 hours after the Eagles plane landed from New Orleans after Super Bowl LIX?

It’s cryptic, but it also speaks to a certain amount of selfishness as well when you get close to 30. The true greats realize that their legacies are not just their own individual stats, but in the reputation for winning and championships that go along with it. Brown seems to find winning a title to be somewhat hallow - and this was before experiencing the parade and all of the bells and whistles that go along with it. One of those benefits in the NFL is a gold jacket in Canton - which is what it sounds like Brown wants to wear more than anything else.

And what is confusing is the act that every report from McLean, Sielski, Berman or anyone else tied into that locker room indicates that Brown is not a selfish guy or a clubhouse diva. His teammates- perhaps with one notable exception (more on him in a moment)- tend to speak highly of him. That’s so much different than Owens, who was respected but also forced Hugh Douglas to tangle with him in the Eagles locker room.

And this is where I fault two other people in that room- both Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts.

Let’s start with Sirianni. Look, I’ve been down this road before- but if Sirianni’s job is to be Ted Lasso and make everyone feel welcome and wanted, doesn’t it reflect a failure on his part that the Brown situation fell apart like it did? Couldn’t there have been a cute sign or a metaphor that Sirianni used to patch things up?

Seriously, Brown is one of the small list of most talented wideouts in the Super Bowl era for the franchise- Harold Carmichael, Mike Quick, Owens and Brown is probably the list. You have to make it work if you are a coach. Sirianni didn’t fix it.

And then, that leads to Hurts. Maybe there is a personal beef there and we don’t know about it. If that’s the case, then was on Hurts to fix it as the quarterback. But last year, it felt like egos got in the way too often for the quarterback and the wide receiver to get on the same page.

Honestly, there was another part of this: the Eagles season went to hell when they started to forcefeed Brown. His attempts would go up- the Eagles offense as a whole would go down. Is that a lone reason? No, because that would mean ignoring the offensive lines injuries and regression. But it was a reason.

Again, maybe both sides are better off on this one. The Eagles wide receiver room is still pretty damn deep with Devonte Smith, Makai Lemon, Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks in the fold. Brown’s Hall of Fame resume will likely increase as the lone weapon in New England.

But it didn’t have to be this way. And now that it’s over, the questions about where it all went wrong with keep popping up.