When Hurts transferred to Oklahoma, Hollywood Brown revealed that he was weighing whether to stay in school and play alongside Jalen as he had declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. While it didn’t happen at the time, seven years later, the Eagles have closed that gap. And in Brown’s mind, Hurts still has that same ceiling. 

“I’ve always been a fan of Jalen Hurts, from even his story back at Alabama,” Brown said on Speakeasy. “I mean, I took the long road to where I got, so I always root for guys that went on that journey.”

That ‘ long road’ remark was intentional. Drafted 25th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, Brown spent three seasons with them, got traded to the Arizona Cardinals, and eventually signed with Kansas City.

Last season with the Chiefs, he recorded 49 catches for 587 yards and five touchdowns across 16 games, productive and steady on a roster that never asked him to be the centerpiece.

Hurts’ path was no smoother. Benched at halftime of the 2018 CFP National Championship in favor of freshman Tua Tagovailoa, he returned the following season to help Alabama win the SEC title before transferring to Oklahoma.

Philadelphia selected him in the second round in 2020, following which he spent a season competing for the starting job before the franchise fully committed to building the offense around him.

Fast forward to when the Super Bowl LIX ended 40-22, Hollywood Brown was with the Kansas City Chiefs, watching Philadelphia take the game apart piece by piece. And through it all, his eyes kept finding Jalen Hurts, threading the deep ball, converting on downs, and doing exactly what critics kept insisting Hurts couldn’t.

“He’s one of the best vertical throwers in the league, and that’s attractive to a receiver,” Brown said. “He putting it on the money on third down, when it matter, money downs, he can make it happen. However, he got to do it, don’t matter how it look, he gonna make it happen.”

Hurts led the league in completion percentage on deep passes (49.1%) during that 2024 season. And his 2025 campaign, which included a career-high five-for-five deep-ball performance against the Minnesota Vikings, showed that accuracy hadn’t faded.

For Hollywood Brown, a receiver running a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, that deep-ball precision is the entire argument for being here. Philadelphia needed a receiver built for vertical routes; Hurts needed a genuine downfield threat to prevent defenses from committing to the run. They each solve each other’s problems, and the Eagles recognized it.

What Hollywood Brown brings to Philly

Philadelphia’s offense runs on Saquon Barkley and the ground game, which is not changing anytime soon. Barkley carried the ball 280 times for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns last season, a consistent workload that defines how this team operates on first and second down.

But Hollywood Brown was not signed for volume. He was signed to threaten coverage, create space for DeVonta Smith, and fill the WR3 role vacated by Jahan Dotson, who departed in free agency this offseason.

Hollywood Brown’s elite speed pushes cornerbacks off, creating the perfect cushion that Philly’s short and intermediate passing game already exploits. The vertical threat Brown provides is structural: it forces defensive coordinators into conflict on every snap, not just when the Eagles line up in obvious passing formations.

The A.J. Brown situation adds pressure to the timeline. During last season, he publicly called out his team and even told fans to drop him in fantasy. His discontent was serious enough that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie personally met with him to address it.

Additionally, the trade speculations around him haven’t slowed down. Philly already has a price in mind, with multiple teams showing interest.

Hollywood Brown’s arrival signals that the Eagles recognize their need for reliable receiver depth. If A.J. moves, Hollywood’s role would quickly expand from complementary to central.

Jalen Hurts has long been able to make the throws, even when the mainstream narrative suggested otherwise. Hollywood Brown spent years watching it from the wrong sideline. But now, Philadelphia is about to find out what it looks like when they’re on the same side.