After four successful seasons, Jalen Hurts and A. J. Brown are likely to go their separate ways next month. The wide receiver is expected to be traded after June 1, with friction within the team paving the way for a fresh start for Brown. Hurts’ recent absence from a personal event by Brown is another sign of a broken relationship.
Emmanuel Acho Says the Relationship Between Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown Is “Fractured”
Even with a Super Bowl win in 2024, Brown and Hurts reportedly had personal problems. Brandon Graham publicly revealed the friction during a podcast appearance, and while the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl that season, the best friends were no longer best friends.
Fast forward to 2026, and a new sign of the end of their friendship emerged. On Saturday, many Eagles players attended Brown’s wedding. Hurts, the godfather of Brown’s daughter, did not attend the ceremony.
Former NFL linebacker and current analyst Emmanuel Acho called this “the nail in the proverbial coffin” in his most recent appearance for Speakeasy. Acho noted that, when friends skip each other’s weddings, their relationship is fractured:
“I think it’s the nail in the proverbial coffin of any ideas around A.J. and Jalen being as close as they once were. Eagles fans tried to argue for the last several years, because they saw them celebrate a touchdown, trying to convince themselves that the relationship is there.
But obviously, you show up to people on important occasions. You show up for funerals, you show up for wedding days. If you don’t show up for his wedding, or if you weren’t invited to his wedding, […] you know there was a fracture in the friendship. The only reason I care is that I think it impacted the game.”
In 2025, Brown had his worst season with the Eagles amid many off-field distractions, and the year ended with a disappointing Wild Card Round loss. Apart from his personal problems with the quarterback, he was unhappy with his role in Kevin Patullo’s offense. A trade seems likely since the end of the season.
Despite finishing 11-6, the 2025 Eagles offense was decidedly middle-of-the-pack, earning just a C grade on PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric with a 74.6 OFFi score (16th in the league, 420th overall). Across 17 games and 1,010 plays (23rd), the unit averaged a pedestrian 5.2 yards per play (18th) and 2.02 points per drive (20th), and ranked outside the top 15 in third-down avoidance (16th), third/fourth-down conversion rate (25th), and sack rate (16th).
Brown, who ranked as No. 21 in our PFSN WR Impact Metric during the 2025 season, would accelerate a $43.5 million dead cap if he’s traded until June 1. This number spreads between 2026 and 2027 if he’s dealt after this date, making it more feasible for the Eagles to strike a deal.
In another move that indicates Brown’s time in Philadelphia is over, the Eagles used their 2026 first-round pick to select Makai Lemon, a wide receiver from USC.
