A.J. Brown is already at New England Patriots OTAs, catching one-handed passes from Drake Maye, smiling ear to ear. Good for him. Congratulations. He finally gets to be where he apparently always wanted to be. But the interview he did with Maria Taylor on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast dropped on Tuesday morning and some of these quotes are absolutely infuriating.

The former Eagles wide receiver managed to contradict himself three times in a row, revealed that he had Patriots decor in his house the entire time he played in Philadelphia, and somehow still doesn’t understand why fans are frustrated. This is peak A.J. Brown, and it’s exactly why the Eagles had to move on.

3 statements that don’t add up

Let’s start with the trifecta of contradictions. A.J. Brown told Maria Taylor that he and Jalen Hurts are not as close as they once were and haven’t been for a few years. Then he says nothing happened between the two of them and they just naturally grew apart. Then, after that, he says he doesn’t understand why everybody talks about the dynamic of their friendship.

This is a perfect example of how frustrating it was to have A.J. Brown on the roster. What do you mean nothing happened? We all saw the tension on the sidelines. We saw the press conference quotes. And the reason people question the dynamic of the friendship is because when Brown was traded to the Eagles, he posted a screenshot of his FaceTime with Hurts. Jalen advocated for the trade. They were like best friends. Brown said they were going to do special things together, and two years ago when he signed his extension, he said he was going to be an Eagle for life.

So of course people want to know what happened. Saying you grew apart but also nothing happened does not make any sense.

The Patriots rug situation

This one got me. Brown told Maria Taylor that he has had a Patriots rug and Patriots decor in his house for years, even while playing for the Eagles.

“This is my team,” Brown said. “This is my team since I was a kid. I was doing what I was supposed to be doing with the Eagles, but this is it.”

Minutes after the trade became official, he posted what appeared to be an AI-generated photo of himself in a Patriots jersey as a kid. Look, I’m appreciative of what A.J. Brown did in Philadelphia. But was this guy ever really all in? This is not like being an Eagles player with a Yankees man cave. This is the same sport. Your house is filled with Patriots stuff. You did the interview sitting in the room with the Patriots rug, so you obviously wanted it to be seen.

And even after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, Brown said he wasn’t fully fulfilled from that. At some point, you have to question where this guy’s priorities were the entire time.

‘The expectations were too much’

The quote that bothered me the most was Brown saying the expectations the Eagles placed upon themselves were too much. He said they started pressing because of it. Are you serious? Philadelphia was coming off a Super Bowl looking like a team that could win two or three in a row, and the expectations were too much? Maybe the team started pressing because their star receiver went on Twitch at 4-0 demanding the ball more when the Eagles were still winning games. Maybe the pressing had something to do with the selfish behavior bleeding into the locker room.

Brown also said he tried to push his teammates to play to their standard by commenting in the media. Well, maybe he should have been commenting on himself, because he showed up to a playoff game and the Eagles got embarrassed in part because he had three massive drops.

When situations like this happen, there are many parties involved. But I just cannot stand somebody who won’t admit the truth, take accountability, and move on. We know you messed some things up. Just say it.

What A.J. Brown meant to the Eagles

The worst part about all of this is that A.J. Brown is genuinely one of the best receivers to ever come through Philadelphia. In four seasons, he posted 339 receptions, over 5,000 yards, and 32 touchdowns. He had four 1,000-yard seasons. He finishes his Eagles career ninth on the franchise’s all-time receiving list, and he did that in just four years. Talent was never the question.

I don’t want to compare the situations directly, but it almost has a Ben Simmons feel to it. We know how good you are. We know you have the skills. But the mental side plays a huge part, and there were too many times where extracurricular distractions crept into the equation that did not need to be there.

When we look back in a couple years, the appreciation will be there for what he helped accomplish, including a Super Bowl. But right now, especially after hearing these quotes, it just sounds like he still doesn’t understand why people are frustrated. He had so much more left to give in Philly, and it feels like he quit on the team. That is why Eagles fans are angry, and honestly, it’s hard to blame them.