There is a certain amount of obliviousness we afford professional athletes. And that’s totally fine. The bubble of fame, wealth and privilege they live in that makes it almost impossible to view things like the rest of us.
Sometimes, though, they push it too far. And when they seem like they’ve lost all grip on reality — and start creating false narratives — it’s totally fine to call them out.
Take, for example, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who thought it was a good idea to call out his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, after the Eagles’ ninth consecutive win in Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers. Brown was upset about the passing game after he had just 4 receptions for 43 yards.
Brown was joined in his complaints by fellow star wide receiver DeVonta Smith in singling out Hurts, who it turned out has been playing with a broken finger on his left, non-throwing hand.
It was a controversy that didn’t need to happen — conversations and critiques aired out in public that only became a controversy because Brown and Smith decided to make it that way.
That’s why it was so surprising to hear Brown tell NBC Philadelphia’s John Clark that he and Hurts doing an awkward, Kid ‘n Play-inspired celebration dance after Brown’s touchdown in a 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 was “… our moment to tell everybody to shut up.”
Brown had 8 receptions for 110 yards against the Steelers as the Eagles won their 10th consecutive game and improved to 12-2.
The utter disconnect between the events of the previous week and Brown’s comments after teh win over the Steelers was called out by former ESPN host Trey Wingo, who wrote what Brown said was “Comical because if (Brown) had just shut up no one would have known about it,” on his official X account on December 15.
Brown Not Always the Greatest Teammate
While Brown is one of the NFL’s best receivers and one of the highest paid, all that talent and money hasn’t created a player who is always the best teammate.
Brown was a second round pick (No. 54 overall) by the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 NFL draft out of Ole Miss and forced a trade to the Eagles in April 2022.
“This wasn’t my fault,” Brown told ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I wanted to stay, but the deal (the Titans) offered was a low offer.”
The Eagles signed Brown to a 4-year, $100 million contract extension right after the trade in April 2022, then again to a 3-year, $96 million contract extension in April 2024 that keeps him in Philadelphia through the 2029 season, when Brown will be 32 years old.
Brown’s production in 2024 might be down — he has 56 receptions for 946 yards and 5 touchdowns through 14 games after back-to-back NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons with over 1,400 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023.
This isn’t the first time Brown’s discontent with Hurts has bubbled over over, either.
Eagles Are Better Team With Brown Taking Smaller Role
While Brown’s stats might be down, it’s hard to argue the Eagles aren’t a better team than they were in 2023 with him taking a co-starring role in the offense alongside running back Saquon Barkley, who has already set a franchise single-season record with 1,688 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
In 2023, the Eagles were 10-1 before going 1-5 over the final 6 games of the regular season and losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
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