The disconnect between A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles has been a story of the last two seasons. He has voiced his displeasure about the way they have run their offense during that timeframe, with several public comments and displays, such as reading a book on the sideline, adding fuel to the fire.
As a result, the possibility of a trade felt genuine, which was compounded when he missed their Week 9 game against the New York Giants. However, the team maintained that no move was in the pipeline. After the trade deadline ended, general manager Howie Roseman explained the reason for Philadelphia’s decision.
Howie Roseman Explains the A.J. Brown Situation
A former second-round pick with three Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections on his resume, Brown has been among the most lethal weapons at the wide receiver spot for quite some time. However, after the arrival of Saquon Barkley, his numbers have seen a noticeable dip.
With the Eagles focusing more heavily on their run game, the involvement of the passing offense has dipped, leading to lower-than-normal production for the veteran wide receiver. After consecutive seasons tallying over 1,400 receiving yards, he fell to 1,079 yards in 2024.
This year, those numbers have been worse, as he’s put up 395 yards in seven games. It has led to a career-worst ranking of 37 on PFSN’s WR Impact, far behind the three consecutive top-10 finishes for Brown in each of the last three seasons.
As a result, some of the complaints from the superstar wideout felt justified, especially as Philly was struggling offensively to begin the season, before going through a two-game losing skid.
Still, the organization is ready to keep him and the antics on the team for this season, at the very least. After convincingly winning the Super Bowl last year, it is hard to fault them for wanting to replicate that success once again.
That is the rationale Roseman used for not wanting to move him as well. Jeff McLane presented his words on X, as the GM of the team explained, “I think that when you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players. And A.J. Brown is a great player.”
Speaking on the pressure on their roster, he added, “And I think that when you’re a team like ours that is looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don’t get rid of the guys like that. And so, feel very lucky to have him on our team and excited about the second half of the season with him.”
The team hopes that the offense can figure itself out and return to being the world dominators they were last season, en route to winning the franchise’s second Super Bowl ring.