Turning the page after A.J. Brown trade | Birds Huddle

Turning the page after A.J. Brown trade | Birds Huddle originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

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There you're seeing the newest Patriot, AJ Brown, practicing for the first time today for his new team, wearing that number one after being traded by the Eagles for a 2028 first round pick and a fifth round pick in 2027.

The Eagles also back on the practice field in the post-AJ Brown world.

DeVonta Smith is now Jalen Hurts' top target.

Welcome in to an Eagle Eye Takeover edition of Birds Huddle, presented by Toyota, official automotive partner of the NFL.

Along with my podcast partner, Reuben Frank, I'm Dave Zangaro.

Reub, the AJ saga is finally behind us.

Are you happy that it just came to a close?

Yeah, I'm not sure it did.

I think it's kind of gonna stay with us for a while, at least through OTAs, and through the season, kind of everyone's gonna compare how he's doing with how DeVonta's doing and how the Patriots offense looks compared to the Eagles offense.

It's not going away that easily, Dave.

Yeah, so the saga's over, but maybe it really isn't, and that gives us to today, and Brown was asked about leaving the Eagles and his new home in New England.

Let's take a listen.

I won't get into, like, details about it, but, you know, you know, I'm excited for this opportunity, you know, you know.

I'm here now.

Not to get into details.

None of that stuff matter, you know?

what's done is done and we're here and we're moving forward.

Caught myself at one, one point in practice, wasn't paying attention because I was like, "Dang, I'm a Patriot," you know?

You know?

And, just trying to take it all in as much as I can.

You know, obviously, you know, you know, I got back to work quickly, but it just, it's levels to it, and I'm, like I said, I'm enjoying it.

It's, it's, obviously, I know this ain't heaven, but, you know, it's close to it.

That brings us to our three-point stance presented by Toyota.

Stance number one, AJ Brown seems pretty ready to move on.

Reub, what do you think of what he said and how he's handled his exit from Philadelphia?

Well, let's see.

He went to two Super Bowls as an Eagle, made two, two Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams, 4,000-yard seasons, over 5,000 yards, made a lot of money, got two contracts.

I'd say the Jefferson Health Training Complex is probably closer to heaven than anything that he's found in Foxborough so far.

you know, I, I still don't understand exactly what was wrong with Philadelphia in his eyes.

I don't know if we'll ever get a real answer.

but, hey, sometimes grass is always greener on the other side and, and we'll see how it goes for him.

Yeah, and kind of like what you were saying earlier, we're gonna be following his season up there with the Patriots this year, and it's a good team.

It's a team that obviously just went to the Super Bowl, but Eagles won a Super Bowl two years ago.

They've been in the mix every season he was here.

this is the first time we heard from AJ.

He did an, an interview and then he, he spoke with reporters in New England.

He was pretty silent all off-season, unlike him.

Yeah, I, I'm sure it drove him crazy to not, not speak, but, it was kind, it was kind of a nice break.

No drama for a few months.

How do you think he's gonna do there?

He has Drake May as his quarterback.

That is a pretty good team, but, I think a lot of folks are expecting a step back from them this season.

Yeah, it's, it's a great question, and I've thought a lot about that.

I, I think he's a 29-year-old receiver with knees that aren't ideal, and I, I, I think he's still gonna be really good.

I don't know if he'll ever be as good as he was here in '22 and '23, 1,400-yard season, for almost 1,500 the one year.

I don't think he'll ever be that player again, but I think he'll be pretty good.

He has a good quarterback.

I, I still think he's a really, really good player, and that's kind of the question is, like, was he not that player last year because he was a little disinterested, or was it that he, he took a step back?

And I, I think we'll find the answer pretty soon.

Yeah, maybe a little bit of both.

he clearly wasn't the same guy.

I mean, I think of the game that he played against the Niners in the playoffs and those just terrible drops.

I don't know if they would've won if he caught those balls.

I think they would've, probably would've.

but, it A- and you've been saying this for a while.

It, it, when, when your distractions show up on the field, that's when it's really a problem.

When your, your unhappiness or, or whatever it is that he was going through, when that's affecting your play on the field, and then affecting the team, then it's really a problem, and that's why he's not here anymore.

Let's get to stance number two.

The Eagles are ready to move on without AJ Brown.

Now that that divorce is finalized, DeVonta Smith spoke today about Brown's exit and assuming the number one receiver role.

Let's take a listen.

What were your thoughts when you saw the trade come officially announced tonight?

I mean, business is business.

you know, I don't got no say-so in that, so What will you miss most about AJ?

I mean, just the, the relationship we had, the brotherhood, things like that.

you know, some things you, you look back and you, you know, we had a good time here.

We had a great time here.

the things that we did, things we accomplished on the field, off the field, you know, you always cherish those moments.

Is that something that excites you, though, to be wide receiver one this week again?

I mean, I'm just going out there and do my job.

I mean, regardless, whatever, however you wanna look at it, one, two, three, four, whatever you wanna look at it.

End of the day, we all have jobs and we gotta go out there and do it.

Reub, so how do you think the Eagles, particularly Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, perform now without AJ Brown?

I think they'll be fine.

you know, Jalen was really good w- before AJ got here.

He'll be really good after AJ leaves.

We know how good DeVonta is.

There's no question in my mind he can be the number one that he, he's gotta be now.

I think he's a top 10 receiver in the league, and with more targets, the numbers are gonna go up.

I see him as a, as a 1,300-yard type of guy this year.

he's that good.

He's tough.

You know, he's, he's tough to defend.

He's fast.Playmaker, ca- tough catches in traffic.

I mean, we've seen it, we just haven't seen it as much as we will this coming year.

So, I think the offense will be fine.

They got a, a good new coordinator and they're both in good hands.

Yeah.

Look, I, I think that Jalen Hurts, his career took a big step forward in 2022 when they got A.J.

Brown.

It doesn't mean he won't perform well without him, but I mean, that was a really big moment in his career.

That '22 season, he, that was almost an MVP season.

Yeah, he was very, very close.

Look, I mean, they're gonna miss A.J., there's no doubt about it.

But I mean, the, the show must go on.

They have other good players, they have other good receivers.

Howie's done a good job, I think, of creating some, you know, some depth at that position that they maybe didn't have in previous years, or really just too deep, and I think they go deeper than that now.

but we'll see.

There's a lot of question marks at wide receiver, and we don't know that Mekhi Lemon's gonna play, be the player that they want him to be.

We don't know if Hollywood Brown or DeVonta Wicks, we, you know, Elijah Moore, we don't know if any of these guys are gonna pan out.

So there's a lot of questions.

You're losing an all-pro, but I, I think they're in fairly good shape.

Yeah.

And the other question is just about how, how does the scheme fit in to all this?

You have a new scheme.

Is that gonna work with Jalen Hurts?

Is it gonna work with DeVonta Smith?

We don't know that yet.

We'll find out hopefully in training camp.

Stance number three, the Eagles are set up for future success.

As a result of the Brown trade, they now have three first-round picks over the next two drafts.

Last night we spoke to Howie Roseman about the trade, and here's what he said about getting a pick two years down the line.

"It made some sense for us to look at future picks.

You know, we do scout future drafts, not just the '26 draft, but also the '27, '28.

And I think for us, you know, we've always been in the mindset of a pick is a pick.

A first-round pick is a first-round pick.

It doesn't matter.

The team's still going to play football in 2028."

Saroo, you heard Howie.

We talked to him last night.

What did you make of what he had to say?

Yeah, and, and he's right, and I think the Eagles have the luxury of kind of taking the long game, and Howie has the luxury of playing the long game, 'cause he's gonna be here in 2028.

I think a lot of GMs are afraid to, to get future picks because they want, they need to win now to keep their job, to protect their job.

They need that pick now.

They need a '27 pick.

Howie doesn't have to worry about getting fired.

I mean, this team, what would it take for Howie to get fired?

I mean, you'd have to have like three straight 0 and 17 seasons maybe.

Maybe not even then.

So he's got the luxury of having a first-round pick.

And now they have, also have a lot of guys whose contracts are up in two years.

So that'll be a transition year for them in a lot of ways.

a lot of good players who might not be here after 2027.

So the timing is pretty good to have that pick.

And the other thing is, if he took a pick this year before the draft, you know that pick's gonna be number 31.

Now they have a chance to have a pick that's gonna be much better than 31.

Let's say the Patriots in '27 go nine and eight.

Now maybe you get, you know, the 17th pick instead of the 31st pick.

So, I, I think Howie got a lot for, for, for A.J.

Yeah, and then there's just that element to it, the unknown, that is exciting because maybe the Patriots aren't as good.

Maybe that pick is better.

Maybe that draft is really strong, which it has a chance to be.

And Howie can also do things with that pick.

Like, even though it's not till '28, like he can trade it for other picks, and we know Howie likes to make trades more than he likes almost anything.

Nothing's changed since we last spoke, at the end of the season.

we, we're really good, and I saw how beautiful the, the pictures came out at his wedding.

I'm very happy for him and his wife and his family and, it's, it's a beautiful thing to step into covenant.

So I was very excited and congratulatory towards that.

You know, nothing can replace all the greatness that we, we achieved together.

Time for the Birds Lounge presented by Cure Auto Insurance.

That was Jalen Hurts last week on his relationship with his now ex-teammate, A.J.

Brown.

Meanwhile, Brown went on the 7PM in Brooklyn Podcast with Maria Taylor, who asked him his side of things with the QB.

How would you describe your relationship right now?

not as close as we once were.

And, I believe that's fine.

It's like there's no bad blood.

there's actually still a lot of love.

I love him.

I love him to death.

I, I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he want to accomplish.

I didn't truly understand why our friendship became the public of, the center of everybody's, attention when it came to football because, you know, looking back on it, you know, we haven't been as close as we were couple years now.

But that has, that didn't stop anything.

Mm-hmm.

You know?

we still competed.

We still pushed each other.

We still led the team.

So, it was just kind of strange.

You know, people just got so fixated on the relationship and wanted to talk about maybe from the history- Mm-hmm of this place, but, you know, that wasn't, that wasn't what, what this was.

Mm-hmm.

You know?

like I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say it to you.

I'm gonna say it on camera.

I got nothing but love for him.

You know, I want him to, to do well and, accomplish everything his heart desires.

Really interesting stuff there from A.J.

Brown.

What'd you make of those comments?

Yeah, I think you're right.

When he was talking about the history of this place, that's a reference to Donovan and T.O., who 22 years later are still- ripping each other on social media.

yeah, I, I think the reason people are so intrigued and interested in their relationship is because it seemed like their falling out was affecting the product on the field, and I think that's where, where it becomes relevant to, to fans and, and media i- is, you know, is what's happening between them affecting their relationship on the field?

And I mean, at times it looked like it was.

So- People are trying to figure out why this guy doesn't wanna play football here anymoreI think that's an obvious place for us to look, and then like there's just curiosity about it too.

These guys were so excited to get a chance to play with one another.

but to AJ's point, y- you think back to those Brandon Graham comments- Yeah that was during the '24 season.

They won a Super Bowl after that, so like it, it was clear that they were able to, to put it aside and figure it out and, and win despite the relationship maybe not being as strong as it once was.

Yeah, I mean, we used to When we started the podcast, we were really good friends.

And I mean, now we, you know- Were we?

I, I don't remember that.

I think so.

And you know, now, I mean, I think the podcast is still good, but we, you know, we don't like each other, so.

Just kidding.

It's just a joke.

But, yeah, I mean, people drift apart all the time.

but did it affect their play?

It's hard to tell, but I, I kinda think it might have.

Yeah, it's, it's possible, and I understand the curiosity around it.

I don't think it's beneficial to, to listen to rumors, and there's only a few people who actually know what happened.

Is there more to it?

I, I think that's possible, but, until one of them speaks on it, it's, it's hard to know.

Yeah.

You can only go by the eye test.

Do you think there's anything that, you know, the organization or Nick Sirianni could have done better to prevent this outcome?

I really don't.

I mean, you say, well, they, they could have thrown the ball more.

I mean, they won a Super Bowl.

It's hard to complain about the, the pass-run ratio when you're having a parade up Broad Street.

And, you know, and then last year, I mean, they were, you know I mean, I think the damage had already been done, so I really don't.

I really don't know what they could have done to, to accommodate him, because we don't know what made him so unhappy, so it's hard to say what they could have done differently.

But, I think they I mean, Nick has never been negative about him, even after the three drops in the 49ers game.

You know, he would say, like, "We would never would have gotten here without him," and, and that kind of thing.

So, I really don't know what they could have done differently.

Yeah, I mean, from a football aspect, I, I think AJ was speaking truthfully when he talked about the offense last year and not being able to put a Band-Aid over it.

So maybe if they were able to fix the offense, but I, I think his decision that he didn't wanna be here anymore also tells you that he doesn't trust it going forward.

You know, maybe that- Yeah is an indictment on the, the whole system.

Maybe it's an indictment on the quarterback or Sean Mannion.

I don't know what it is, but he very clearly doesn't expect that to get better or he, he wouldn't have not wanted to be here.

I really thought there was a chance when they fired Kevin Patulo and replaced him with Sean Mannion that AJ would kinda change his stance a little bit.

Say, "Well, I really like what this guy's got to say, what he's offering here.

I like his scheme.

I like his system.

I think I have a chance to, to do well, and I think the offense will look a lot better, so I'll stay here."

Obviously, I was dead wrong.

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