PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two years after signing a deal that made him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL and one Super Bowl championship later, A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles have split.
A long-anticipated deal was completed Monday when the Eagles traded Brown to the AFC champion New England Patriots for two draft picks, ending the tenure of perhaps the greatest receiver in franchise history.
Also, one of the more complicated ones.
Brown's relationship with the franchise, notably Super Bowl MVP QB Jalen Hurts, soured as much as his production in 2025 and the clock ticked toward a June 1 deadline for a deal when his contract would no longer be such an albatross on the salary cap. The Eagles will save up to $133 million overall in cash.
It still stings a bit.
The Eagles can now spread $43.4 million in dead money over the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Sounds great — along with the 2028 first-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder acquired from the Patriots — on paper.
On the field, the Eagles will surely miss Brown, who had 339 catches for 5,034 yards receiving with 32 touchdowns in four seasons with the franchise. Brown, who turns 29 later this month, was acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 draft and was signed to a four-year deal worth $100 million.
Brown had 106 catches for 1,456 yards receiving in 2023 after he had 88 catches for 1,496 yards in 2022 in his first season with the Eagles and was rewarded with one of the richest contracts in team history.
He agreed to a three-year contract extension in April 2024 that included $84 million in guaranteed money.
The Eagles would win the Super Bowl in the 2024 season — Brown was caught reading an inspirational self-help book on the sideline during the postseason run — but the good vibes wouldn't last much longer.
Brown is not only the Eagles' No. 1 wide receiver, he was also one of the top receivers in franchise history. He topped 1,000 yards receiving all four seasons with the Eagles — including consecutive 1,400-plus-yard seasons — and was a crucial member of two teams that played in the Super Bowl.
“It is hard to find great players in the NFL and A.J.’s a great player,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said at the end of the season.
Brown thanked the Eagles, staff and fans in a social media post and wrote, “Playing for this city has been an honor. And I'm thankful for every moment in midnight green.”
Yet, Brown was unhappy last season as the Eagles offense stagnated, leading to a change at offensive coordinator.
Brown and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni bickered on the sideline during a wild-card loss to the 49ers, forcing chief security officer Dom DiSandro to intervene. Brown ripped off his helmet in frustration and yelled more in Sirianni’s direction.
Brown had nothing to say after the game, continuing a pattern where he declined to speak to the media over the final weeks of the season.
Brown had been irked about his production — rather, his lack of it — last season and wasn't shy about voicing his need for a bigger role in the offense.
He would post cryptically on social media, including a September post that said: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
Brown is on his way to New England, where he will be reunited with coach Mike Vrabel, his former coach in Tennessee.
The Eagles signaled the end of Brown's tenure during the April draft when they selected Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon in the first round. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver after catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards — tops in the Power Four conferences — and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans.
Philadelphia had already added receivers Dontayvion Wicks, “Hollywood” Brown and Elijah Moore to potentially pair with No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith.
Brown never got to meet the new guys inside the locker room after he skipped last week's voluntary organized team activities.
“For us, we’re focused on learning the offense,” Hurts said last week. “It really doesn’t change in terms of our approach to improve.”
Hurts and Brown had reported cracks in their relationship in 2024 when Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said “ things have changed ” in their dynamic. Both players downplayed any tension, but questions lingered about their relationship all the way until last week's organized team activities.
The 51st pick overall out of Mississippi in 2019, Brown had been the best receiver drafted by the Titans since the organization moved to Tennessee in 1997. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and had 185 career catches for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns before he was dealt to the Eagles for a first-rounder in the 2022 draft.
Brown hopes he can find the happiness, catches and cash in New England that he failed to find in his two previous stops.
“It’s going to be a hard time for me to say anything bad about A.J. Brown,” Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said at OTAs. “I’m a big fan of A.J. Brown, one of my really good friends, one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever been around, just respect him as a man. But this is the business.”
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FILE - Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in action prior to an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Jan. 4, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)
