One of the hottest topics of the NFL offseason, not just within the Philadelphia Eagles organization but throughout the entire league, is just what exactly is going to happen with wide receiver A.J. Brown.
After a couple of seasons that featured plenty of questionable behavior by the veteran wide receiver, there are many who now predict the Eagles will wind up listening to trade offers for the former Tennessee Titan.
As we get into the 2026 NFL Combine, Philly reporters were able to catch up with head coach Nick Sirianni before the full-on madness this week brings. Asked about Brown and the saga at hand, Sirianni said something that's going to be a hard sell to this fan base:
“My expectations is he wants to be here."
And my expectation is that the NFL really does prioritize player safety over the dollar, but that doesn't mean it's true.
Nick Sirianni has mastered 'coach speak' when it comes to A.J. Brown
Let's all be very, very honest with ourselves. In a perfect world, Sean Mannion helps unlock Jalen Hurts a bit more and assists in the offense's ascension. It wasn't too long ago that the Eagles were one of the best offensive teams in the league.
But, in this case, I'd venture to guess most Eagles fans have a hard time believing Brown truly wants to be here. He has a Super Bowl ring. He has some accolades. But what he doesn't have is the reputation of being that top-5 wide receiver in this league who sees 150-plus targets per season, as he did back in 2023.
Sirianni went on:
“You guys know me. I’m not gonna say, ‘Hey, here’s what I thought this player should have done.’ Like, just know I’m always communicating with our guys, whether it’s something on or off the field that’s going on. And we’re always in constant communication about it."
What I'd like to know is how this constant communication works. Are Sirianni and Brown in constant communication about the wide receiver's deepest career desires? Is Sirianni having to calm him down regularly and reassure Brown that things are going to get better?
Does Brown buy any of that, if this is the case?
There were times, last season, that it felt inevitable: Brown is absolutely a trade candidate and he's nowhere near guaranteed to stay in Philadelphia.
Whatever the communication is, on the back end, probably doesn't calm Brown's nerves when it comes to him wanting the ball regularly. His catch percentage dropped a significant bit last year (from 69.1 to 64.5).
Read more: Nick Sirianni said exactly what Eagles fans thought he would say about Sean Mannion
There seemed to be a disconnect between Brown and Hurts at times. Brown's attitude, on the field and in the locker room, seemed as though it continued to fade for the worse.
Sirianni is Sirianni. Say what you will about him. But, this is hard to believe.