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The Philadelphia Eagles traded wide receiver AJ Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday, and the wide receiver said his relationship with star quarterback Jalen Hurts has grown distant.
Brown, 28, said that while there was no bad blood with his now-former quarterback, the two grew apart.
“Not as close as before,” Brown said during an appearance on “7PM in Brooklyn.”
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(Left) Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown (11) walks off the field after the game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland on December 20, 2025. (Right) Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) stands on the field after the national anthem before an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 11, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images; Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“I think it’s good. It’s like there’s no disagreement. In fact, there’s still a lot of love, I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish everything he wants to accomplish.”
The three-time Pro Bowler said nothing happened and both parties admitted they were growing apart. Hurts recently made headlines for not attending Brown’s wedding in May.
“Nothing happened. People split up. Nothing happened between me and him, or between our families, our spouses, anything. Nothing like that ever happened,” Brown said. “But life happens and sometimes you just have to look up and walk away. And that’s fine. And I think both sides have accepted that.”
The former Ole Miss star said he doesn’t understand why their friendship became such a topic of discussion among the public.
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AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 21, 2025. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I didn’t really understand why our friendship became the center of everyone’s attention when it came to football, because looking back on it, we haven’t been as close as we were for a few years now, that hasn’t stopped anything,” Brown said.
“We were always competing, we were always pushing each other, we were always leading the team. It’s a little strange, people were so obsessed with our relationship.”
Hurts and Brown helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl two seasons ago. In four seasons in Philadelphia, Brown caught 339 passes for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Despite the success, the Eagles moved on from Brown on Monday after it became more advantageous to trade him on June 1 due to salary cap implications.
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Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles watch the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 4, 2025. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Eagles went from a possible $43.4 million dead money charge for the trade to a reduction to $16.3 million based on the NFL’s June 1 salary cap rules. The team acquired a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection from the Patriots for Brown.
Now in New England, Brown has nothing but love for Hurts.
“Nothing but love for him, I want him to succeed and accomplish everything his heart desires.”
