The Philadelphia Eagles faithful had plenty to celebrate on a night when their team wasn’t even playing.

AJ Brown’s New England Patriots debut ended with an ankle sprain, Drake Maye threw multiple interceptions, and the entire spectacle validated what Eagles fans have been saying all offseason. For a fanbase that watched Brown force his way out of Philadelphia, Wednesday night’s opener felt like cosmic justice delivered on national television.

That was the sentiment from A to Z Sports Philly’s RB, who joined Austin Stanley and Ryan Roberts on the 13 Personnel podcast to break down Brown’s rocky start during New England’s 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and the Jalen Hurts contract conversation swirling around the Eagles this offseason.

RB didn’t hold back when describing the experience of watching Brown’s first game in a Patriots uniform.

“It’s kind of like when you have a girlfriend and she leaves you and she goes to the new guy thinking that things are going to be brighter on the other side and the grass is going to be greener, and then a month and a half in you see that they broke up and you’re sitting there saying to yourself, I tried to tell you,” RB said.

The numbers paint a grim picture for Brown and his new quarterback. Maye has thrown seven touchdowns and 11 turnovers over his last five games, including the playoffs.

Brown suffered an ankle sprain in the loss, and fellow receiver Romeo Doubs failed to record a single catch. The early returns suggest Brown may have traded a championship-caliber situation for something far less stable.

“Only in Philadelphia can it feel like a game day when it’s not even the Eagles on the TV,” RB said. “People are here kind of celebrating how much of a disaster that was for the New England Patriots last night. And listen, man, I hope AJ’s well. I never want to see anybody injured, and he was a great Eagle, but it’s just a life lesson, man. The grass is not always greener on the other side.”

RB connected the dots between Brown’s departure and the relentless criticism Hurts has faced all offseason.

“All offseason I’ve had to hear about how bad Jalen Hurts is at throwing the ball downfield, how he can’t hit his guys, how there’s a riff in the relationship,” RB explained. “This is what you wanted, AJ, and now you have to live with it. You made your bed, you have to lay in it, man. Jalen Hurts, I mean, he has to be just smirking this morning.”

The Jalen Hurts contract question lingers in Philadelphia

The conversation shifted to the Hurts contract situation, which has become one of the more polarizing topics in the NFC East. With Baker Mayfield recently landing a deal worth $55 million per year and other quarterbacks receiving significant extensions, the question of when the Eagles will address Hurts’ long-term future has only grown louder.

I noted that general manager Howie Roseman has traditionally avoided negotiating extensions during the season, meaning the contract conversation will likely be shelved until the offseason. That policy leaves a lingering question hanging over Philadelphia: Are the Eagles dragging their feet, or are they genuinely unsettled on Hurts as their long-term answer?

The market continues to reset at the quarterback position, and every deal signed by a peer makes the eventual Hurts extension more expensive for Roseman and the Eagles front office.

For now, Hurts can let his play do the talking. Brown’s disastrous debut in New England only strengthened the argument that the criticism lobbed at Hurts this offseason was overblown, and the early returns from Wednesday night suggest Maye has a long way to go before anyone can crown him.

The Eagles have their quarterback. Whether they pay him like it before the season ends remains the question that won’t go away.