Jason Kelce reveals the uncomfortable truth about A.J. Brown ahead of crucial Eagles’ decision

Jason Kelce says that A.J. Brown’s lack of effort hurt the Eagles’ offense this past season, but trading him would be a mistake.

Josh Taylor — Washington Commanders News Writer
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The Philadelphia Eagles’ 2025 season ended in disappointment after coming up short in the NFC playoffs.

They’re headed into a crucial offseason where bold changes may need to happen. The Eagles already started making changes by moving on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, after a lackluster offensive showing this season.

Now, the Eagles have to focus on roster changes with one giant elephant in the room, and former Eagles center Jason Kelce just threw another wrench in the decision regarding WR A.J. Brown.

Jason Kelce says A.J. Brown’s lack of effort hurt the Eagles’ offense this season

A.J. Brown has been a hot topic all season with his clearly visible frustrations on and off the field, and it will only be magnified this offseason with trade rumors. That’s a decision the Eagles will have to sit on this offseason, but moving on from Brown may be more beneficial than they think. Kelce points out on Sportsradio 94WIP that Brown couldn’t blockout his frustrations, and it hurt the team around him in the long run.

“A player that’s not giving full effort, it’s incredibly frustrating, right?” Kelce asked. “I think any player that’s out there, when you’re seeing a teammate, not go all out, like that’s all you want from your teammates, and that’s all we want as fans. And it’s a really hard thing to optically watch. It’s frustrating to watch. Few things are infuriating more than when that’s optically, like apparent. . .”

“I think whatever was affecting A.J. affected the team, and I think that A.J. was clearly affected,” Kelce added. “I don’t know to what degree A.J. affected other guys, probably a little bit. Whenever you have somebody who doesn’t have the right energy come through the building, you can just feel it. It’s not good, right? But I think the reality is most of the words that come out of that building, from players, from coaches, from everybody, love A.J. Brown. . .”

“So I think, I think there’s got to be a reason that A.J. is well-liked in the building by coaches and players. He’s well respected. I think part of it is that he’s a great player, and, you know, teammates want him there, and know that he can be a dominating force for them. But you know those frustrations? He’s just the unfortunate player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play, and it makes him play worse, it makes the offense worse, and it makes his energy worse. And you know, some guys can block that out and go out there and just play football. He is clearly not one of those guys.”

NFL insider says high-level executives expect the Eagles to entertain trade offers for A.J. Brown this offseason

Even in a down season, Brown collected over 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, but his attitude and lack of effort left more production on the field to be had. The Eagles might have to bite the bullet and cleanse the locker room from Brown’s negative impacts on the offense and replace him this offseason if they get a high enough trade offer.

ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler says that executives in the league already expect the Eagles to take trade calls for Brown, and that they’d be open to trading him.

The best-case scenario would be trading Brown to the AFC with the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Buffalo Bills as the front-runners. The Eagles have Devonta Smith to build around, while adding another weapon this offseason in free agency or through the NFL Draft.

It would be bold to move on from Brown, but as Kelce pointed out, he showed that he can’t block out his frustrations, and both parties may need a fresh start to get the best out of the situation.

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