Remembering A.J. Brown’s Time As A Philadelphia Eagle

The move that everyone saw coming since January is finally here. A.J. Brown is no longer a Philadelphia Eagle. The deal was obviously made after June 1 at 4:00, sending Brown to the AFC Champion New England Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. 

Although his time here in Philadelphia came to a miserable end, Brown will always be remembered as one of the greatest receivers to play professional football in this new generation. His level of star power changed the entire Eagles offense en route to two Super Bowl appearances and a ring in 2025. Even though he’s gone, he’s etched his name into Eagles history forever.

On the night of April 28, 2022, the Eagles shocked the football world. Right before they were going to make their second first-round selection at No. 16, the news was broken that they had acquired Brown from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for the 16th pick and a third-rounder. 

Shortly after the trade was announced, the Eagles inked Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract, and Eagles fans were lit up with excitement after his new quarterback, Jalen Hurts, posted a video on social media of him on a FaceTime call with Brown.

Let’s Do It Kinfolk!
@1kalwaysopen_ pic.twitter.com/VRynCCymIH

— Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) April 29, 2022

It was time for a new era in Philadelphia. After suffering from watching Nelson Agholor drop passes consistently, to seeing wasted draft picks such as JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Reagor play, the Eagles, under a new offense, became one of the scariest teams in the NFL to start the new season, with Brown and DeVonta Smith becoming one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. 

That new presence is just what the Eagles needed. In his debut, he caught ten passes for 155 yards. He finished the season with five games of over 100 yards. He finished fourth in receiving yards with 1496, caught 14 touchdowns, as the Eagles finished 14-3 with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they went all the way to the Super Bowl, where Brown also caught a touchdown. Although the Eagles lost heartbreakingly, it was a sign of great things to come. 

2023 was an even better season for Brown. What stood out that season, from a team perspective, was the collapse the team suffered late in the season, but Brown played no role in it. He logged a career-high 106 receptions, 1,456 yards, and seven touchdowns. He was the first Eagles receiver with back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons and set an NFL record with 125 receiving yards in six consecutive games. His first two seasons in midnight green are two of the best receiving seasons in franchise history, already accumulating 14 100-yard performances. 

Brown’s value changed the Eagles entirely. When he’s at his A-game, he could change the entire direction of the game. Whether it was him making a highlight reel play every week or mashing out a defensive back, he made the Eagles the best team possible. A game changer on the offense can change everything, and Brown was just that. 

Then came the Super Bowl-winning season. Although he only played in 13 games, he still racked up his third straight 1,000-yard season to go along with seven touchdowns. But no one ever knew that he was playing with a knee injury for most of that season. 

“Playing hurt in the back half of the season,” Brown said on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast. “Getting my knee drained twice per week. Getting my knee drained right before the games. Right before the [Washington Commanders] game and got out there and have a good performance. Then the following week, following week, following week. Even the Super Bowl. Right before the Super Bowl.”

And in the end, it all paid off. He played through it, and it got him a ring on his finger when it was all said and done. In the NFC Championship Game, he caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown; in the Super Bowl, he caught three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. 

“It’s the journey that matters the most, and that means the most,” Brown said. “Because those are the moments you look back at with your teammates that you’re spending time with and going to war, you’re suffering together, and you’re winning together.”

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and the journey that Brown had taken took a downward spiral the following season.

A Kevin Patullo-led offense changed the entire dynamic of how the Eagles won games. The offense was bad, they were winning games by the skin of their teeth, and Brown was struggling for targets in the process of it all. That led him to go on a Twitch live stream and urge the viewers to “drop him in fantasy football.” That sparked much animosity towards the players and fans and forced the way the offense acted the rest of the season.

READ MORE ON BROWN:

A.J. Brown’s Exit is on the Horizon: What to Know

From weeks 11-14, Brown was targeted 10 or more times a game. But the offense still struggled. The Eagles went 1-3 in those four games, with many fans mocking Brown as a “stat padder” for being upset due to his lack of targets, despite the team’s 8-2 record at the time. 

The struggles would hit hard again during the Eagles’ wild-card matchup against the 49ers, where Brown dropped two critical passes late in the game. A screaming match with coach Nick Sirianni followed, and after the game was over, Brown declined to speak with any media, leaving the stadium for his last time as an Eagle. 

Following the season, a report from Bleeding Green Nation’s Joseph Santoliquito noted that Brown asked for a trade numerous times this past season (as early as after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3). He was disgruntled, and instead of working things out, he’ll be on a new team to continue his NFL career.

In the end of it all, Brown will always be remembered in Philadelphia. Although the bad times will be a key talking point, fans will never forget the performances he did in helping the Eagles win their second Super Bowl in franchise history.

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