No shock here! This was a long time coming. The ties between A. J. Brown and the Eagles have been on a bumpy road for over two years now. Tensions simmered behind the scenes, and whispers of a split grew louder each week. But if Philadelphia wants Brown to pack his bags, they’ll have to face some serious financial hits that could sting the salary cap hard.

“He’s [A.J. Brown] due $50 million in cash over the next two years, which is manageable for a WR1. The Eagles would absorb a $20 million cap hit if he’s traded before June 1, or they could save $7 million on the cap by waiting until after June 1 to deal him,” NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN noted.

That $20 million cap hit drops right in their lap if they pull the trigger early. Brown signed a massive $96 million deal for three years last season, with $84 million guaranteed, making him the first wide receiver with the most guaranteed money in the league.

Right now, he sits at No. 3 on the Eagles’ cap hit list, and the numbers only climb higher next year. So, it might just be smarter for Philly to eat the financial hit and exit cleanly rather than drag out this locker room drama any longer.

It’s no secret that A.J. Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts aren’t getting along. The wide receiver has cryptically voiced his opinion about being “frustrated” with his limited role on the offense, dropping hints everywhere.

Yet the quarterback and head coach, Nick Sirianni, have never fueled the fire while answering those questions.

“I’m close to being done answering these questions with this,” Sirianni said in November, via ESPN. “He’s working hard, and he is a big part of this game plan [for Sunday’s game against the Lions], and he’ll be a big part of the game plan going forward. He’s working like crazy when he’s here, and I’m excited to have him.”

But the spotlight doesn’t stop there. The critical light is sharp at both ends. Even Hurts has not been safe from facing these questions, pulling him into the growing tension.

How does Jalen Hurts tune out the criticism?

Hurts and company finally snapped their three-game losing streak at The Linc against the Raiders. But the QB still faced a lot of heat for those losses. He had some choice words to say when reporters asked him about responding on a personal level and being aware that “everyone in that locker room is watching” him.

“Everybody’s watching. It just comes with it. And hasn’t changed. I think everybody needs to remember where I come from and how I’m built,” said Hurts. “I have done the same thing since I went to the University of Alabama. And everything that’s been in front of me. So it’s no different now.”

What Hurts meant to say is that the Super Bowl champ has been under the spotlight for 10 years now, including his college years. And criticism just comes with the territory of being the leader of Philly. And it’s no big deal for the quarterback to block it out and keep pushing.

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“It’s who I am,” Hurts said on Tuesday. “It’s my focus. This isn’t my first rodeo. Very unprecedented journey to be here. But unprecedented is unprecedented.”

As per the QB, pressure is just “perception by those who are watching.”

“I’m not watching, I’m living,” Hurts said Tuesday and then took a long pause before saying he is “…doing.”

Although there have been reports of no divide in the Eagles locker room, this much smoke doesn’t come without a fire, does it? It looks like we’ll have to wait and see what the offseason holds for A.J. Brown and Hurts.