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A.J. Brown Left Sweet Gift for Eagles Teammate After Season-Ending Loss to 49ers

Kristen Wong

Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown left his teammate a sweet gift in the locker room following Sunday’s wild-card playoff loss to the 49ers.
Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown left his teammate a sweet gift in the locker room following Sunday’s wild-card playoff loss to the 49ers. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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A.J. Brown left without saying so much as a word to the Eagles media after Sunday’s wild-card loss to the 49ers, but he still made sure to tip his hat to his teammate and one of the shining stars from the game, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

In Sunday’s 23-19 defeat, Brown put together one of his worst career performances with just three catches for 25 yards (and several crucial drops). While the Eagles’ offense as a whole failed to deliver in a gotta-have-it playoff game, on the defensive side of the ball, Mitchell enjoyed a productive outing with two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Brown exited the Eagles’ locker room pretty quickly on Sunday but made sure to leave a special gift for Mitchell: his signed No. 11 jersey, along with a classy message to his teammate.

“All-Pro Q,” Brown wrote on the jersey. “Love Bro. Proud of U.”

Lots of NFL fans were convinced that Brown’s gift to Mitchell was a bittersweet parting one, and that he had played his last snap for Philly:

It does seem a bit odd for Brown to give Mitchell his game-worn jersey after his own uninspiring performance—unless Brown wasn’t planning on coming back next season.

It’s no secret that Brown was unhappy with his role during his fourth year in Philly, as he often took a backseat in the Eagles’ passing game early on in the season. He even resorted to simulating his own touchdowns on Madden 25 while playing as the Eagles during a Twitch stream back in November. "Let's show him some love," Brown said, to himself on Madden. "Good things happen when you get touches."

Brown finished with another 1,000-yard receiving season—his fourth consecutive one in Philly—but until he chooses to open up about his future with the team, fans and pundits alike will just have to keep on guessing.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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