As the 2025 season went on, the Philadelphia Eagles fan base felt something was off with wide receiver A.J. Brown and began to realize it could be his final season in the midnight green uniform.
Sure enough, that became a reality when Brown was traded from Philly to the New England Patriots, with the Eagles receiving a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick. Brown sat down with Maria Taylor for an exclusive interview, where she asked the three-time Pro Bowler about the moment last season when he knew he was not going to be on the Eagles roster in 2026.
"No, it wasn't a specific moment, I would say. I think just at the end of the season, I just realized that I felt like my time was up."
A.J. Brown knew he was done with Philly after the 2025 season ended
That playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Game was a perfect symbol that this was truly going to be the end for Brown. He had three catches for 25 yards, but had multiple critical drops in the game that built up the frustrations between him and the Eagles fan base, which made it impossible to come back from the moment he stormed out of the locker room after the game with no words exchanged to the media.
Last year, in general, was frustrating for Brown, as he posted an Eagles career-low 1,003 yards and finished five yards behind DeVonta Smith for the team lead for the first time in his career. Brown didn't even lead the team in touchdown catches, as his seven were off from Dallas Goedert's 11.
From going on social media with his cryptic posts to calling out the Eagles on streams, it was clear all season that Brown was unhappy and that this was doomed to end in divorce. The good part is that this divorce at least ended peacefully, with each of them complimenting the other without using bad words.
Read more: A.J. Brown gave Eagles fans clearer picture of what happened after Super Bowl win
Brown appears to be happier with the Patriots, which Eagles fans can appreciate and respect. The four years with him were great, but the drama is over now, and the Eagles can officially move forward with 2026 without any more distractions getting in the way of the progress they are making.
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