The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-0 after Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns in Sunday’s win. But behind the scoreline, their high-powered offense managed just 200 total yards. Star receiver A.J. Brown caught only 2 passes for 7 yards on 9 targets. It’s a win, but it didn’t feel like one, and the 28-year-old’s postgame message made that clear.

Not long after the Eagles escaped the sweltering Tampa heat with a 31-25 victory, a message appeared on Brown’s social media. “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw,” the tweet read. “Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way!” For a player who exploded for 109 yards in the second half just a week prior against the Rams, getting ghosted stung.

The Eagles’ offense, despite its undefeated record, looked like it was driving with the emergency brake on. They won, thanks to a blocked punt returned for a TD to open the game and two scores from Dallas Goedert. But does winning cure all?

The Bucs game was a testament to Philly’s weird vulnerability (despite the fake tush push). Tampa Bay clawed its way back from an 18-point hole with 2 TDs over 70 yards in the 3rd quarter alone.

Baker Mayfield threw for 289 yds and had his team driving to tie the game late, only to be picked off (he got a double punishment before the game too). The Eagles’ defense made the play, but the offense left the door wide open. That’s the rub. An offense that generates only 200 total yards isn’t cooking; it’s surviving. And survival isn’t what Brown the guy with the record-setting contract, signed up for.

While Philly walked away with the win, others were watching.

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, saw an opening.

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 A.J. 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.

Another simply declared him a “Steeler.” with Squidward in a Steelers cap. The ink is barely dry on his 3-year, $96 million extension, a deal that guarantees him a staggering $84 million through 2029. You don’t make that kind of long-term investment in an athlete to use him as a decoy.

Brown is the kind of player who transforms those late-game stalls into game-sealing TDs. That’s why a fan tweeted, “Reunion. Burgh us.” Fans were already hyped to witness the duo of “DK and AJ”

Back at Ole Miss, Brown formed a legendary tandem with a current Steeler: DK Metcalf. They were high school rivals who, as Metcalf admitted back in 2023, “didn’t like each other” at first. But they knew they were a force. “I needed him and he needed me,” Metcalf said.

He admired how Brown was a “better route runner” and “caught the ball naturally.” The thought of reuniting that duo is what’s really fueling this fire.

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.