Jalen Hurts may have just revealed his true feelings on AJ Brown after trade

It was no secret Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver AJ Brown, once viewed as inseparable, seriously drifted apart as friends over the last couple years. Enough so the ensuing on-field dysfunction was believed to have spurred the early agreement between Philadelphia and the New England Patriots to facilitate a trade as soon as June began.

Members of the team are finally beginning to address Brown’s departure and it was what Hurts didn’t say in his comments that spoke the loudest about his potential internal feelings.

“You come into it and you have a sense of pride in how it began and definitely what we were able to accomplish,” Hurts told reporters Wednesday. “Nothing can take that away. For the great things that we did, now it’s time to focus on achieving great things with this new iteration of the team.”

At first glance, that seems like a diplomatic answer but Hurts limiting the “sense of pride” to “how [the partnership] began” and essentially drifting off into PR-speak makes me think otherwise. He’s savvy enough to not disparage his former teammate but even Brown admitted the two were not as close as when he first arrived in the City of Brotherly Love. Hurts didn’t attend his top wideout’s wedding for crying out loud.

Jalen Hurts’ restrained AJ Brown comments speak louder than he intended about their estrangement

Brown set a career high with 1,496 receiving yards in 2022 and followed that up with another 1,400-plus-yard campaign in 2023 with Philadelphia. Though the disconnection with Hurts was apparent in 2024 and 2025 which led Brown to frequently express his displeasure vocally. In fact, as he grabbed the last of his belongings at the Eagles’ practice facility on Tuesday, his written parting message on one of the walls appears to be a parting shot referencing that frustration.

“The best to ever play here. Always open,” he wrote. The last sentence matched a mantra he hung above his locker and the mindset he constantly maintained, especially if his targets were down. Brown recently told reporters there was “still a lot of love” between the two despite the obviously growing estrangement.

“I’m not in a place to challenge anyone’s perspective on anything,” Hurts said Wednesday when asked about Brown’s characterization. “That’s where I am. I have always been focused on the collective, put my energy towards that, and as a leader, I’ve always put an onus on giving maximum effort to achieve the shared mission we have as a team.”

Nobody expects Hurts to give an overly glowing review of Brown’s tenure as an Eagle. He was obviously a diva, most star wide receivers are, but Hurts’ dismissiveness and refusal to even positively acknowledge Brown’s thoughts on their weakened friendship sure sounds like a guy who may be relieved to finally be rid of the drama.

Hurts is a fierce competitor and it makes sense that he wants to focus on the team rebounding from what felt like a disappointing 2025-26 campaign despite racking up 11 wins and going back-to-back as NFC East champs. That very motivation could have fed into his and Brown’s relationship becoming strained, especially if the latter was more focused on his individual stats than the Eagles winning.

Philadelphia’s star QB will be watched closely as the 2026-27 campaign approaches, especially with Brown absent, as his relationship with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion could present yet another source of tension if things go similarly to how they did with Kevin Patullo. Hurts, however, is one of the most diplomatic athletes in a press conference setting so, like his true thoughts on Brown, we may never actually know where his mind is at.

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