SouthernWorldwide.com – Wide receiver A.J. Brown, recently traded to the New England Patriots, revealed that his relationship with former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had naturally drifted apart. Brown, 28, stated that while there is no animosity between them, their closeness diminished over time.
“We’re not as close as we once were,” Brown shared during an appearance on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. He emphasized that this change was a natural progression, not a result of any specific conflict.
Brown further elaborated that he holds no ill will towards Hurts. “There’s actually still a lot of love, I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he wants to accomplish,” he stated.
The three-time Pro Bowler explained that the parting was mutual and without incident. He noted that people sometimes grow apart, and this was the case for him and Hurts. He also addressed Hurts’ absence from his wedding in May, clarifying that it was part of this growing distance.
“Nothing happened. People just grow apart. Nothing happened between me and him, or our families, our wives, anything. Nothing like that ever happened,” Brown reiterated. “But life happens and you just look up sometimes and you find yourself drifting away. And that’s fine. And I think both parties accepted that.”
Brown expressed his surprise at the public’s intense focus on his friendship with Hurts. He felt it was unusual for their relationship to become such a central topic in football discussions, especially since they had been less close for a couple of years prior to the trade.
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“I didn’t truly understand why our friendship became the center of everybody’s attention when it came to football because looking back on it we haven’t been as close as we were for a couple of years now, that didn’t stop anything,” Brown said. “We still competed, we still pushed each other, we still led the team. It’s kind of strange, people just got so fixated on our relationship.”
During their time together in Philadelphia, Hurts and Brown were instrumental in leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory two seasons ago. In his four seasons with the Eagles, Brown amassed 339 receptions for 5,034 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns.
Despite their shared success, the Eagles made the decision to trade Brown on Monday. This move was strategically timed for June 1 to optimize salary cap implications. The trade allowed the Eagles to reduce a potential $43.4 million dead-money charge to $16.3 million, adhering to NFL salary cap rules for June 1 transactions.
In exchange for Brown, the Eagles received a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection from the Patriots. Brown, now embarking on a new chapter in New England, continues to hold Hurts in high regard.
“Nothing but love for him, I want him to do well and accomplish everything his heart desires,” Brown concluded, reinforcing his positive sentiments towards his former quarterback.
