408 yards. That was AJ Brown’s total for the first four games in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning campaign last year, 49% of the team’s 828 yards. This season, that number has already dropped to 151 yards, for 26% of the total yards through the first four games. Things changed for the better last Sunday as the 3x Pro Bowler contributed 109 receiving yards in the second half and chants of  “ayee-ooo!” filled the Lincoln Financial Field. But entering the blistering Raymond James Stadium in Tampa yesterday, OC Kevin Patullo played a 180-degree card. After the close 31-25 win over the Bucs, Brown let his feelings be known. And so did his fans.

Not long after the Eagles escaped the sweltering Tampa heat with the victory, a Bible verse (Mark 6:11 and Matthew 10:14) appeared on Brown’s social media. “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way!”

Before that tweet, Brown had another post, writing,  “I love yall with MY heart,” with a bandaged heart emoji. Clearly, the hidden jabs are a result of the star receiver not getting enough opportunities, something he struggled with last season as well. But even then, and now, HC Nick Sirianni doesn’t believe that’s the case. In fact, he had to clear the air again and again as he did in Week 3’s win over the LA Rams, too.

“I watched A.J. Brown handle all your questions as a great teammate and with grace,” Sirianni said in his post-game presser. “Obviously, he wants the football. Obviously, he needs to get the football. To do the things that we want to do, he’s got to have the season that he’s had the last couple years, the last three years when he has been second-team All-Pro and went over a thousand yards every time… I know he wants the football, but he said the right things the entire week and that’s big for a team.

“I’m just really proud of how he’s handled a slow start as far as stat-wise, but he’s doing the right things without it in his hands to help us find ways to win football games, and today we needed it with the ball in his hands.”

In the away game, Brown only caught 2 of 9 targeted passes for 7 yards total. But it wasn’t just his game or how the scheme was played. The Eagles’ offense, as a whole, was confusing in their Week 4 win. In the first half of the game, QB Jalen Hurts went 15-for-16 for 130 yards and two touchdowns with 42 rushing yards before halftime. With his best first-half performance to date, he looked nothing short of an MVP.

The blocked punt returned for a TD to open the game, and two scores from Dallas Goedert only helped the reigning champs lead by 18 points going into the second half. But after halftime, the Eagles’ offense looked like it was driving with the emergency brake on. Their first six drives of the second half included five three-and-outs and another drive that went five plays but totaled minus-10 yards. They scored a touchdown on a short field, starting from the 25-yard line. But then Tampa Bay woke up.

They clawed their way back from an 18-point hole with 2 TDs over 70 yards in the 3rd quarter alone. However, despite trying everything, including a fake tush push, Philadelphia’s offense kept failing. But the Bucs’ turnovers and the Eagles’ defense caught up with them to keep the reigning champ’s unscathed 4-0 record intact. And that’s the rub.

An offense that generates only 218 total yards isn’t cooking; it’s surviving. And survival isn’t what Brown, the guy with the record-setting contract, signed up for. So, as Philly walked away with the win, others watched. Specifically, the Pittsburgh fans. Fresh off watching their team hang on to a 24–21 win over the Vikings in Dublin after nearly blowing an 18-point lead, they saw an opening through Brown’s tweet.

Brown sparks Black-and-Gold daydreams

Steelers fans, frustrated by their team’s late-game stumbles despite a 24-21 win over the Vikings, turned their attention to AJ Brown. His cryptic post and quiet outing in Philly sparked a wave of trade buzz online. “Steelers need to trade for aj brown,” one fan demanded. QB Aaron Rodgers is already finding holes in the offense that are limiting his ceiling. And so, after seeing Mike Tomlin take so many chances in a do-or-die season, the fans would also like him to make a trade plea with the Eagles.

Another simply declared him a “Steeler” with Squidward in a Steelers cap. The ink is barely dry on his 3-year, $96 million extension. You don’t make that kind of long-term investment in an athlete to use him as a decoy. But if Brown believes that he can no longer achieve his 1000-yard streaks like all but one season in his career, he can force the team’s hand. However, it is important to note what Sirianni had said about the same controversy when it first caught air last season.

“There is going to be a game that we’re going to have to throw a bunch, and there’s going to be a game we have to run a bunch,” Sirianni said after their two playoff games. “I wouldn’t say I have a level of concern of anything there. I know we’re able to win both ways. I know we can win passing the ball. I know we can win running the ball. Just so happens a little bit more this year, we’ve won running the football.”

So, even if it is a slow start, Brown has handled the entire conversation quite well and continues to believe in the team. In fact, he outrightly said that he doesn’t blame Patullo for not getting him the ball. But we know he is the kind of player who transforms late-game stalls into game-sealing TDs. That’s why a fan tweeted, “Reunion. Burgh us.” Fans were also hyped to witness the duo of the two best friends as they wrote, “DK and AJ.”

Back at Ole Miss, Brown formed a legendary tandem with a current Steeler: DK Metcalf. We have already seen Rodgers’ connection growing with Metcalf and turning into some big plays for the Steelers. If Brown does ask for a trade, he can be the QB’s second target to increase Pittsburgh’s passing game. And so, the calls for the same didn’t hush down as someone else wrote, “@steelers trade for AJ brown. Make it happen.”

Although the scheme runs on what Patullo says, some fans didn’t back down from targeting Hurts as well. They wrote, “Steelers go trade for AJ brown right now. Free that man from Hurts.” Over the last four games, we have seen Hurts pass the ball to Brown when he has defenders breathing right on his neck, reducing his capacity to actually convert that play into something fruitful.

Philly got the victory, but Steel City, a team that knows it’s just one weapon away from true contention, is dreaming of a welcome home that feels a lot more like a reunion. Sirianni is currently running on a ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mantra. But Brown’s $96 million/ 3-year contract doesn’t begin until next season, giving him few options to force the Eagles’ hand if he decides to seek a trade. Do you think we are moving towards that decision?