“Unselfish” is one word that’s rarely been associated with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Fair or not, for the majority of his career, Brown’s been viewed as the opposite. Petulant if he doesn’t get enough touches. Passive aggressively throwing teammates under the bus to the media. He’s been almost the definition of the modern, diva wide receiver.
What people see on the surface — the quick assumptions — might not be the right way to go when we talk about Brown.
Four-time Super Bowl champion tight end Rob Gronkowski made an impassioned defense of Brown on the FOX Sports pregame show ahead of the NFC Championship Game between the Eagles and Washington Commanders on January 26.
“I see a player who is making some amazing blocks downfield for Saquon (Barkley),” Gronkowski said. “A.J. Brown is an unselfish player. We should say it. If I’m a tight end and I see him blocking downfield like that I’d buy him an unlimited Amazon gift card so he could get all the books he wants.”
That praise coming from Gronkowski should mean a little more.
Named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team, Gronkowski was one of the few tight ends in recent memory who could not only dominate games catching the ball but was also a fierce blocker who could be counted on to set the edge against the game’s best outside linebackers and defensive ends.
Brown All But Missing From Passing Game
For all of Gronkowski’s praise of Brown as a blocker, the fact is he’s getting paid to catch the ball — the 3-year, $96 million contract extension he signed in April 2024 wasn’t for making sure Saquon Barkley gets an extra 2-3 yards at the end of a run.
To that end, Brown has done little of what he’s being paid to do in 2 playoff games — no one on the Eagles really has — although Brown’s absence is the most egregious. Headed into the NFC Championship Game he had just 3 receptions for 24 yards on 10 targets.
Dominant and Mercurial All-Pro Wide Receiver
Brown signed his massive contract after back-to-back NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons with over 1,400 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023.
In 2024, Brown had 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and 7 touchdowns and was selected to the NFL All-Pro Team for the third consecutive season.
Brown and Hurts have appeared to butt heads at times over the last 3 seasons while making franchise and NFL history together. In 2022, Brown’s 1,496 receiving yards set a franchise record and the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl. In 2023, Brown had 6 consecutive games with over 125 receiving yards to set an NFL record.
Brown, a 3-time Pro Bowler, expressed his frustration with the passing game after Hurts went 14-of-21 passing for 108 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions in a Week 14 win over the Carolina Panthers — the ninth win in a 10-game winning streak for the Eagles.
Brown finished that game with 4 receptions for 43 yards and when asked what was wrong with the offense following the game, he gave a 1-word answer: “Passing.”
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