Why Jason Kelce Thought Watching A.J. Brown Was ‘Frustrating’ Last Season

The former Eagles star explained that it’s always hard to watch a player not give it their all on the field.

Eagles receiver A.J. Brown had a tumultuous 2025 season. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The A.J. Brown situation in Philadelphia is one of mixed emotion. On one end, there's clearly frustration built up between the receiver and others in the Eagles’ building. On the other hand, Brown is a good football player and seems to be respected overall by his teammates.

So, will the Eagles ultimately choose to keep Brown around or will they look to trade him this offseason? That's the big question looming over the organization.

The trade rumors began after Brown’s tumultuous season in Philadelphia as he was involved in rumored drama with quarterback Jalen Hurts, then he publicly criticized the Eagles’ offense and, most recently, he got into a heated sideline exchange with coach Nick Sirianni during the team’s wild-card loss to the 49ers. There’s clearly something not clicking with Brown in Philadelphia.

As a former Eagles star and teammate of Brown, Jason Kelce spoke about the receiver’s situation on 94WIP this week, and even he had conflicting feelings about the receiver. Specifically, Kelce admitted it’s been difficult watching Brown not give his full effort on the field.

“How hard is it to play with a player that’s not giving full effort? It’s incredibly frustrating,” Kelce said. “Any player that’s out there when you’re seeing a teammate not go all out, that’s all you want from your teammates, and that’s all we want as fans. It’s a really hard thing to optically watch, it’s frustrating to watch.”

Jason Kelce on a perceived lack of effort from A.J. Brown this season:

"He's just unfortunately a player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play, and it makes him play worse and makes the offense worse." pic.twitter.com/tsQxzKH1np

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) February 12, 2026

Kelce emphasized how there’s a “great appreciation” for Brown in the Eagles’ facility from coaches to players. Even general manager Howie Roseman gave Brown a somewhat promising referral recently. But, it’s clear to Kelce that something is bothering Brown, whether it’s something directly within the Eagles’ organization or outside of football, that’s impacting his play. And, that’s something you hate to see happen to a good football player.

“He's just unfortunately a player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play, and it makes him play worse and makes the offense worse, and it makes his energy worse,” Kelce continued. “Some guys can block that out, they go out there and just play football. He is clearly not one of those guys.”

We’ll see what the Eagles choose to do with Brown this offseason. His current contract has an out after the 2026 season, so the team could elect to keep him at least one more year and then make a decision next year.

---