A.J. Brown's Desire to Be Great Fueled Him -- And Drove Star WR Away From Eagles

A.J. Brown always had the desire to be great.

The drive for greatness fueled Brown. It motivated him, perhaps a little too much.

Once Brown won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, he reached the pinnacle of the NFL. Winning a championship is what fueled Brown when he came to Philadelphia four years ago, and he accomplished that goal.

With the championship off the bucket list, all that was left for Brown was greatness. This is what drove him to get on the football field and dominate opposing defenses week after week.

Brown made it clear what he wanted, and wasn't afraid to hide from it.

"I truly feel I'm one of the best in the league," Brown said at training camp last summer. "And I wanna put a stamp on it."

What is greatness?

Success is what you make of it. So is greatness.

Brown wanted to be the best, and he felt the Eagles could get him there at one point. That wasn't the case over the past two years as the Eagles had a risk-averse offense. That means less turnovers by Jalen Hurts and the offense and lack of passing attempts when the Eagles had the lead.

This wasn't about Brown getting the football, but maximizing his talents. He felt the Eagles weren't doing that, which became evident as the source of his frustrations over the course of last season.

The Eagles were still winning football agmes, but that didn't matter. Brown had the massive contract and the championship, but that didn't complete the entire puzzle.

Brown know the offense wasn't going to sustain. Teams in the league were going to catch up to what the Eagles were doing, and they did (after a Super Bowl run of course).

Greatness is measured in a lot of different ways. How Brown measured it is what's uncertain.

The numbers in 2025 said Brown wasn't great, and that was part of the problem. Brown had just 1,003 receiving yards last year, the lowest he's had in a season since 2021 (869). The 12.9 yards per catch were the lowest of his seven-year career.

Brown's yards per separation have dropped every season since 2022, including a career-low 1.8 last year -- which ranked 135th out of 135 qualified receivers.

That's not greatness. 19th in receiving yards and 40th in yards per reception isn't greatness.

The seeds were planted

Brown's frustrations with the Eagles really became evident after Week 4 of the season. He posted the Bible verse Mark 6:11 to social media to prove a point.

"If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."

The Eagles were 4-0, but Brown wasn't happy. He had every right to be, as the Eagles were 30th in total offense -- and had the fewest total yards per game (251.5) by a 4-0 team since the 1941New York Giants.

This is a team that had Brown, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Jalen Hurts as its skill position players. Brown and Smith weren't even in the top-50 in receiving yards at the time.

That's not greatness, which is what Brown was pursuing. He wasn't getting the targets, nor the opportunities.

"If you don't get targets, and you don't see the ball for half the game, two hours, man, it's hard to stay engaged," Brown said. "But we're professionals and we're going to try to make the most of when our number is called."

Brown did try when he got the ball, but it was clear he was going in a different direction. As the season wore on, he felt the Eagles couldn't help him be great anymore.

The desire to win was still there, but so was the desire to be great. This is a formula that many people find it hard to understand, but success is how you measure it.

The Patriots responsibility? Help Brown pursue greatness

Brown eyed up the Patriots for multiple reasons. Aside from growing up a fan of New England and the chance to play for head coach Mike Vrabel again, the Patriots offense is set up for Brown to have a huge season.

Brown will be the No. 1 wide receiver in new England, the clear top option in an offense that needs him. he'll be working under Josh McDaniels, who led Davante Adams to 100 catches for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns in their firts year together with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Those 2025 numbers are going to go up for Brown if he stays healthy. Drake Maye was also 12th in pass attempts (492), first in completion rate (72.0%), fourth in passing yards (4,394), third in pass touchdowns (31), and led the league in yards per attempt (8.9).

In other words, Brown is getting the ball -- and he's getting the ball deep. That is how the Patriots can help Brown chase the greatness he covets.

Brown will have a big year in New England. He may even have two great years there.

As Brown pursues greatness in New England, that greatness will be how he measures it.

If Brown isn't happy in New England, he never will be. That's the hard price to pay when pursuing greatness.

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