There wasn’t any need for Nick Sirianni to hold back his thoughts regarding his former player, AJ Brown, one week after the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the New England Patriots.
With Brown out of the building, there isn’t an in-house relationship to protect. On top of that, Brown has been brutally honest about his feelings on the situation lately. Honesty has to be a two-way street.
Sirianni said a lot about Brown and the hot topic of the wideout’s relationship with Jalen Hurts. After Brown confirmed that the two grew apart over the past four seasons, Sirianni made it clear that while maintaining healthy relationships is important, the distance between Hurts and Brown wasn’t as detrimental as it seemed.
At the same time, the situation showed that when not everybody is on the same page, it’s difficult to win at the highest level.
Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Gets Real On AJ Brown After Blockbuster Trade
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 29: Head coach Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with A.J. Brown #11 after defeating the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“I think sometimes that can get misconstrued that everyone has to be best friends and that’s just not the case,” Sirianni told reporters on Tuesday, June 9.
“There’s a lot of guys on a football team. There are a lot of different personalities. What has to be understood is that everybody has a common goal. What also has to be understood is that everybody has a common goal that they need each other to accomplish. It’s like, ‘Yeah, we all want to win. Yeah, we all want to be All-Pro. Yeah, we all want to our second, third contract,’ but you also, in that, need others to help you accomplish those things. There’s no other sport, in my opinion, out there that’s more obvious than in football.”
AJ Brown was very vocal about wanting to be a key contributor in helping the Eagles win games. It was clear at times that even with a win, Brown might not be satisfied if he didn’t get to contribute in the way he had hoped to.
That’s not to say that Brown didn’t care about the team’s mission, but oftentimes, his motives were questioned by outsiders as he continued to expose his true thoughts as the 2025 NFL season played out.
“If You Want To Do It Alone, Pick Another Sport”
GettyINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 24: Head coach Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Sirianni’s lengthy rant after getting asked about Brown’s departure included the quote above. It went viral for obvious reasons; many believed that it was a parting shot at Brown.
However, it’s simply a message to anybody around the building who doesn’t carry the correct mindset, as the Eagles work on getting back to finding their Super Bowl groove.
“It is so important that we all understand that we have a shared mission and that we need each other to get to where we want to go. We need each other. Not in this sport can we do it alone,” Sirianni added.
“If you want to do it alone, you’ve got to pick another sport. But I say to them, sometimes I feel bad because I love the sport of tennis, but I’m like, ‘Hey, this ain’t tennis and none of you are built to play tennis. A lot of you guys aren’t built–Jake Elliott was built to play tennis–but a lot of you guys weren’t built to play tennis, so you can’t switch, so you need each other to get to where you want to go.’â
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