Jalen Hurts On Marrying Offense, Impending A.J. Brown Divorce, And New WR Stable

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback met with reporters for the first time since mid-January, and had some things to say.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts meets with reporters during the team's OTA on May 27, 2026. | John McMullen/ Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Hurts was about five questions into his first press conference since the Eagles scattered into the offseason after cleaning out their lockers on Jan. 12, a day after losing in the playoff to the 49ers, when he reached for a bottle of water to take swig.

That’s when the A.J. Brown question finally came.

“Picked the right question to sip on,” the quarterback said with a laugh.

The question was about the impact on the offense if Brown is traded, which is very much expected next week when the calendar flips to June.

“I think for us, we’re focused on learning the offense,” said Hurts. “It really doesn’t change in terms of our approach to improve. There’s an if. Obviously, it’s been a lingering thing. But nothing can replace all the greatness that we achieved together.”

Hurts and Brown won a lot of games in their four years together. They went to a pair of Super Bowls, narrowly losing to the Chiefs in one before blowing out the Chiefs in another.

Divorce Is Coming

Eagles WR A.J. Brown at open practice. | John McMullen/Eagles on SI

A divorce is coming, and isn’t that ironic in an offseason where there has been a lot of talk about the Eagles and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion “marrying” the run and pass.

It’s not a “marriage” between the OC and QB, but something else.

“I’m always trying to get hip-to-hip with the play caller, get as much direction as I can, so I can go out there and execute the offense as he sees it,” said Hurts. “Over time, you grow as a quarterback (to) what you feel like you can make it your own. And so, I just want to ingrain myself into what we’re doing and go out there and prove it every day. There’s are pivotal reps, very important reps right now that we’re getting. So I think that’ll be good for us.”

Then there’s Brown, who got married recently, a wedding in which there was a big deal made about Hurts not attending, and Hurts celebrated his first wedding anniversary in April.

“Nothing has changed since we last spoke at the end of the season,” said Hurts, about him and Brown. “We’re really good. I saw how beautiful the pictures came out at his wedding. I’m very happy for him and his wife and his family. It’s a beautiful thing to step into covenant. So, I was very excited and congratulatory towards that.”

The Eagles have moved on from Brown, at least in terms of the depth they have added in the offseason drafting Makai Lemon in the first round, trading for Dontayvion Wicks, and signing free agents Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore. That inventory was added to a room that already has one of the league’s top receivers in DeVonta Smith to go along with Johnny Wilson and Darius Cooper, among a few others.

“There was a time when DeVonta was ‘the guy’ coming in,” said Hurts. “So, I know everyone has a lot of confidence in him. And then, obviously, Makai and Wicks and Dallas (Goedert) and the whole unit.

“Ultimately, I think the thing is just learning what Coach Sean is installing and the direction that we’re going in with him. And that’s a collective thing that we all have to be bought into. We all have to build that share of belief in going out there and learning our jobs, learning how we want to do it, and then kind of building our identity as we go forward.”