National Football League

Eagles' A.J. Brown: 'I want to be' in Philly, 'it's as simple as that'

Published Feb. 24, 2024 2:57 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown addressed his future with the team and his relationship with QB Jalen Hurts during a radio show appearance Friday, shutting down rumors that there's trouble brewing in The City of Brotherly Love.

"I have no problem," Brown said. "I want to be here, it's as simple as that. I love where I'm at, it's as simple as that."

Brown was traded to Philadelphia from the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal with the Eagles. Since his arrival in Philly, Brown has made two Pro Bowl appearances while also appearing in a Super Bowl during his first season with the team.

Philadelphia began the 2023 season by winning 10 out of its 11 games by the end of November, with Brown collecting the NFC Offensive Player of the Month award for October after recording six consecutive games of 125-plus receiving yards. As a result, Hurts and Brown were widely considered to be one of the most dynamic QB-WR duos in the league.

However, the Eagles season took a turn for the worse late in the season after a double-digit loss at home in Week 13 to the eventual NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers. Brown did not get a single touchdown catch in the final six regular-season games, and he was also inactive with a knee injury in Philly's playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With outsiders pondering what exactly caused the demise of Philadelphia's season, Brown clarified that it wasn't caused by relational issues between himself and his QB.

"You know, I think that's sort of BS," Brown said. "I'm not going to get into me and his relationship on the air, but it's total BS, you know what I'm saying. It wasn't a problem when I was on my six-game streak. They weren't talking about that then, so they only started talking about that when we started losing.

"Of course, you see friction from everybody, from the coaches, the players and from everybody. So, there you go."

Previously, Brown had emphasized the player's accountability for their poor performance on the field when he told reporters in January "coaches do not play any snaps this year." The three-time Pro-Bowler doubled-down on his message when he explained that he's not the kind of player who holds coaches accountable for how Philly ended its season.

"Like I said earlier in the season or after the season, players weren't executing like I said in the interview," Brown said. "That's what it came down to. I think the media kind of ran with the coaches like it was the coaches' fault or the coaches didn't prepare us. I never blamed the coaches, and I'm not the person to blame a coach. I'm not trying to blame anyone.

"I'm the guy that's going to look in the mirror and go challenge everyone else. It was the players not executing and that's what happened. If you look back closely, like Ike said earlier, we were playing like the best team in the league. We weren't. We may have had the best record in the league, but we weren't playing like the best team in the league. It was like that all year. We were scratching away getting wins."

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