Selfless Superstar: Why A.J. Angst Is Overblown With The Eagles

It wasn’t nothing, but it really wasn’t anything of substance either.

That’s how you can tackle the report that teams called the Eagles about A.J. Brown in the offseason, only to be quickly shut down by GM Howie Roseman.

"While we’re talking about big-time receivers, teams could sniff around before the trade deadline in early November, Philly’s A.J. Brown, who had a quiet Week 1, drew some interest months ago,” Dianna Russini revealed in The Athletic.

“But teams poking around during the offseason were told by Eagles GM Howie Roseman flat-out: No dice, Russini wrote. “We’ll see if anything changes in the coming weeks as we again monitor Brown’s connection with Jalen Hurts."

There are two ways to tackle the kind of information Russini provided, and the first should be the tacit understanding that GMs around the league “talk” about dozens of players who would probably raise some eyebrows if the context isn’t added to the picture.

In the case of Brown, the context from Russini was a definitive “no dice” from Roseman.

Eagles On SI had also been told definitively on multiple occasions by separate team sources that the team has zero interest in dealing Brown, a player they moved heaven and earth to acquire from Tennessee on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Brown has also already signed two massive contracts with the Eagles, which helped set the WR market as a whole: the four-year, $100 million deal he got when acquired from the Titans, and the very proactive three-year, $96M extension the superstar received in April of 2024.

Brown, by the way, has rewarded the franchise by producing three consecutive second-team All-Pro seasons despite performing in a unique offense where passing volume is going to be near the bottom of the NFL.

Take Advantage Of Your Opps

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) addresses media during training camp at NovaCare Complex. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

That’s something Brown is uniquely suited to handle based on his circumstance of landing with the Titans when they had Derrick Henry, and the Eagles acquiring superstar running back Saquon Barkley before the special season that resulted in a Super Bowl LIX championship in February.

“It’s something that I’ve learned from,” Brown laughed when asked about his NFL journey. “It’s not as easy to deal with at times [as a receiver], but there are advantages in that plan with those two guys. You just take advantage of your opps, make the most of them.”

Behind the scenes at the NovaCare Complex, you can talk about Super Bowl MVPs, Offensive Players of the Year, or even future Hall of Famers, and most still believe Brown is the best pure football player in Philadelphia’s star-studded universe.

However, the second and perhaps more important way to frame the ongoing Brown “rumors,” any time targets dip or the Eagles' passing numbers hover at "unacceptable" numbers, is the only path that can turn common-sense interest in Brown from others into anything more than the hopes and dreams of New England.

Team success is the key.

If the Eagles keep winning at a historic rate and Brown has to play a supporting role, the WR1 is good.

If Philadelphia starts losing more than expected and you’re a superstar receiver in an offense struggling with passing efficiency, that will create problems.

Of course, you can say the same thing for DeVonta Smith, and there seems to be little concern after the Week 1 win over Dallas, where Brown got one target and Smith only had three.

"They just dropped a lot of guys out,” Smith said of the Cowboys. “It's tough to get guys the ball when you have guys dropping underneath and they're rolling covers with certain ways, I think it’s like that so I mean, that was the main thing. Just a lot of guys dropping everywhere, so space was limited."

Perhaps Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus found the formula to stop the talented Eagles offense if it can be coupled with better pass-rush discipline to handle Jalen Hurts' off-schedule abilities.

"I wouldn't say you see more [of Eberflus' plan], because if you just do that, then they're gonna run the ball down your damn throat,” said Smith. “... I don't think you could just sit there and just drop people all game, I think the running game is just gonna eat you up."

The irony to any of the A.J. narratives is that they are rooted in others and the diva reputation of the WR position as a whole around the league.

Strip away those pre-conceived notions, and Brown has proven to be as selfless as any star at the position in my quarter-century covering the NFL.

“I still say that’s only up for me to decide,” Brown said of his desire to be recognized as the best WR in the NFL. “So, regardless, if I get one catch, I’m pretty sure everybody’s gonna say I’m obviously not the best. But, for me, I’m still controlling the game. I still freed up Jahan [Dotson] to get a one-on-one with the post [for a 51-yard gain] because they rotated coverage to me, so I’m impacting the game without even touching it.

“Obviously, that is tough because you want to touch the ball, but I’m still helping my teammates.”

MORE NFL: Eagles Elevate Two From PS For Chiefs On Sunday, Place Rookie On IR