A.J. Brown Addresses Jalen Hurts Relationship After Eagles-Patriots Trade
A.J. Brown spent four seasons in Philadelphia, won a Super Bowl and built something real with that organization. Letting go of all that isn't easy, and he hasn't pretended otherwise.
The veteran wide receiver is headed to the New England Patriots after the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to trade him in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection. The deal went through after the June 1 salary cap deadline, closing the book on Brown's time in Philly.
It was a run that had its share of highlights but also its complications, particularly around the passing connection between Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts that never quite found the consistency it once had during the 2025 season.
Brown sat down with Maria Taylor on ‘7PM in Brooklyn' this week and spoke openly about the move and everything that came with it.
A.J. Brown on His Relationship With Jalen Hurts
One topic that kept coming up throughout Brown's time in Philadelphia was his relationship with Hurts. It became a storyline that followed the Eagles all season and Brown addressed it directly during the interview.
"Not as close as we once were," Brown said. "And I believe that's fine. There's no bad blood. There's actually still a lot of love. I love him. I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he wants to accomplish. I didn't truly understand why our friendship became center of everybody's attention when it came to football because, looking back on it, we haven't been as close as we were a couple years now. But that didn't stop anything. We still competed, we still pushed each other, we still led the team."
Brown made it clear that whatever shifted in their personal relationship never affected what they did together on the field.
He pushed back on the idea that it was ever a football problem and said the attention placed on their friendship never made much sense to him. The respect between them is still there and he wants nothing but good things for Hurts going forward.
He even admitted the trade hit hard and that he spent much of the week processing the emotions that came with leaving a city and a locker room that had become home over four years. He stepped back from the negotiations and let his agent handle things, and New England is where it landed.
Related: A.J. Brown Joins Patriots: Trade Details and Salary Cap Impact Explained
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:01 AM.