AJ Brown does not seem all that broken up about leaving Philadelphia.
The newly traded Patriots wide receiver swung by the Eagles facility last week to grab some belongings and say his goodbyes. The team hangs framed photos of its Pro Bowlers on the wall and has the players sign them, so Brown grabbed a marker and left a message on his.
“The best to ever play here. Always open.”
That is the parting shot, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. And no, the Eagles cannot take it down. The photo stays on the wall.
That is the kind of move that tells you everything about how the final months in Philly went for Brown. This was not a guy who wanted to leave under happy circumstances. This was a guy who wanted to make sure his last impression was a mic drop.
Brown finished his Eagles run with 30 catches per season averages that put him in the conversation with Terrell Owens and DeSean Jackson when you talk about the best receivers in franchise history. He won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia. He made three Pro Bowls in three seasons there. By any reasonable measure, he was great.
The problem was the off-field stuff. The Jalen Hurts tension that boiled over into multiple awkward press conferences. The visible frustration on the sidelines. The cryptic social media posts. The reports of a fractured locker room. By the end, even loyal Eagles fans were ready to move on.
Garafolo did push back on one piece of the narrative. He shot down the conspiracy theory about what exactly caused the Brown-Hurts rift, saying multiple people inside the building are adamant the most popular rumor is bogus. So whatever drove the wedge, it was not the thing fans were speculating about online.
That still leaves the trade. The Patriots got a top-15 receiver in his prime. The Eagles got draft capital and the locker room peace that comes with shipping out a frustrated star. Both sides are framing it as a win, which is usually how you know a relationship was past the point of saving.
For Brown, New England is a fresh start. Drake Maye gets a No. 1 weapon. Mike Vrabel gets a competitive edge. The Patriots get a player who absolutely thinks he has something to prove against his old team.
And whenever the Eagles next host the Patriots, you can guarantee Brown will be circling the date. He left a message. He meant it. The next step is making the Eagles regret it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
