AJ Brown’s postgame decision fuels growing suspicion after Eagles’ playoff loss to 49ers
The Eagles wide receiver made a bold choice after failing to deliver for his team.
The Philadelphia Eagles are headed home. After a loss where A.J. Brown was nearly invisible in crunch time and the offense sputtered far too often, the top wideout for the Eagles wasn’t in a talking mood.
A.J. Brown avoids media availability after tough outing vs. 49ers
According to EJ Smith, Brown declined to speak to the media after the loss to SF. He gave handshakes to a handful of his teammates on his way out of the locker room and told a group of reporters he was “about to go.” Clearly, he was not interested in discussing his performance or the team’s frustrating defeat.
Brown caught just three passes for 25 yards in the defeat. His key drop in the fourth quarter contributed to the final drive stalling when it mattered most for Philly. Not to mention, he shared a shouting match with head coach Nick Sirianni just before halftime.
The future of Brown with the Eagles seems cloudy, at best. There is a route for them to trade him this offseason, but any team that acquires him would be taking on a massive financial commitment. With that, the return for Philadelphia may not be up to snuff for losing his talent on the offense.
I talked to A to Z Sports’ Justin Churchill about the situation and the upcoming decision for Philadelphia that looms regarding Brown and the WR position.
“It’s almost always stemmed from Brown and his self-centered issues. Whether that be the incident with him reading the book on the sideline, tweeting about how he only cares about getting his stats, or always having an attitude on his face when the camera pans to him after a stalled drive, the Eagles may end up being better off without Brown.
“There’s just so much that comes with him. He’s the prototypical drama wide receiver, only, he doesn’t ever back it up when he’s needed most. In hindsight, it doesn’t matter much because Philly still converted a fourth down directly after, but his drop on third down, where Jalen Hurts hit him directly in the hands, will be polarizing heading into the offseason.
Much of that is because not long before that, he was getting into a shouting match with his head coach on the sideline. Not only would Philly save money moving on from him, but they’d also likely save themselves from any drama that comes with Brown, which has come with him since he got to Philly. They have their No. 1 guy to replace him in Smith. May as well cut ties and start over since the Super Bowl repeat is out of the equation now.”
It will be a tough decision, one way or the other, for the Eagles. Brown brings some emotional baggage, and there is no doubt that there is some tension within the locker room.
That being said, the realistic options to replace him may not bring the same upside in the short term as keeping the former Pro Bowl talent in the building.
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