PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts confirmed that he and A.J. Brown grew apart during their last season together in Philadelphia, in an interview with GQ published Tuesday. Hurts gave the answer only after the magazine asked him twice.
“There’s no surprise that it was talked about,” Hurts said. Asked a second time whether the two had grown apart, he said, “I mean, clearly.”
Brown said the same thing in June, days after the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the New England Patriots. Speaking with NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor on the “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony” podcast, Brown said nothing had happened between the two men or their families.
“Nothing happened, people just grow apart,” Brown said.
The A.J. Brown Trade And What Preceded It
Philadelphia sent Brown to New England on June 1 for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Waiting until after June 1 let the Eagles split Brown’s dead money across two years rather than absorb it at once. Philadelphia carries $16.3 million in dead cap charges in 2026 and $27.1 million in 2027.
Brown asked the Eagles front office for a change of scenery after the 2024 season, general manager Howie Roseman said at the time. Sources told ESPN’s Tim McManus that Hurts was part of the reason, in part because Brown did not believe he was targeted enough against zone coverage.
Brown caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games in 2025, his lowest yardage total in four seasons with the Eagles. He averaged 12.9 yards per catch, a career low. He posted about his role on social media through the season and raised it in interviews.
Jalen Hurts And A.J. Brown Before Philadelphia
Hurts hosted Brown on a recruiting visit at Alabama, and the two worked out together in the offseason once both reached the NFL. Hurts is the godfather to Brown’s daughter, Jersee. They played four seasons together in Philadelphia, a run that included back-to-back 1,400-yard receiving seasons for Brown and a Super Bowl title after the 2024 campaign.
The Eagles and Patriots held joint practices in Foxborough, Massachusetts, last month. Brown told reporters after the first of them that he and Hurts had not spoken since the trade. The two were seen talking the following day at the second practice.
“Honestly guys, none of that stuff even matters, man,” Brown said. “You all should want to report something positive.”
Hurts was asked about Brown at the same practices.
“I’ve got a lot of love for him and always have,” Hurts said.
The Philadelphia Eagles Offense In 2026
Hurts played 16 games in 2025 and threw for 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He ran 105 times for 421 yards and 8 touchdowns and made his third Pro Bowl. He is under contract at $51.5 million in cash in each of the next two seasons.
Philadelphia reshaped the receiver room around Brown’s exit. The Eagles moved up in the first round of the 2026 draft to take USC’s Makai Lemon at No. 20, traded for Dontayvion Wicks, and signed Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore. DeVonta Smith returns. Sean Mannion is in his first season as offensive coordinator.
Christian Parker left Philadelphia in January to become the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator after two seasons as the Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Dallas hosts Philadelphia on Thanksgiving, the first time the teams have met on the holiday since 2014. The Cowboys open the season Sunday, Sept. 13, against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
