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While A.J. Brown has seemingly moved on to better opportunities with the New England Patriots, the outside noise pointing to his fractured relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn’t really stopped. The QB recently said that he is “not in a place to challenge anyone’s perspective on anything,” seemingly putting an end to all the speculations. However, a former Super Bowl champion is convinced that what happened in Philadelphia was the quarterback’s fault.

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“I’m going back on A.J. Brown, and I’m just rethinking the whole of last season, and I feel like A.J. Brown had a reason to be upset. You have me out here perfecting my craft at a high level, and when it comes to showtime, when the light is on me, you don’t wanna give me the ball? Yeah, I got a problem. Not getting the opportunities that he felt like he should be getting. That is a quarterback issue 100%.” said Fournette on the 4th and South podcast.

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The assessment from the Super Bowl LV winner is not without reason. While he and former NFL wide receiver Jarvis Landry chimed in on the buzz about Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown’s feud, the former Eagles WR’s frustration with the team’s offense last season wasn’t without any reason. The 28-year-old WR joined Philadelphia in 2022, and in the first two years, he recorded over 1,400 receiving yards each season. Following that, there was a slight decline in his performance over the next two years.

While the league insiders and analysts speculated on the reasoning, Brown was reportedly disappointed with the Eagles’ offensive scheme, particularly their star QB. He felt Hurts was reluctant to target him on tight-window throws against zone coverage. Brown felt that Hurts was playing too risk-averse, which resulted in the elite wide receiver going multiple quarters without seeing a target.

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Due to the play-style disconnect, Brown’s numbers dropped to a career-low 1,003 receiving yards in 2025, falling to 66.9 yards per game and 12.9 yards per catch. This eventually boiled over into visible tension, cryptic social media exits, and a live Twitch stream where Brown vented his frustration, calling the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense a “sh*t show.”

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“It’s not just solely about my situation. I want to win, too,” he said. “I think if we’re really focused on winning and doing our job, we can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense?

“That’s what I’m getting at. It’s not about, ‘I don’t care about winning, all I care about is stats.’ No. It’s been week after week sometimes we’re not doing our job on offense. You can’t keep slapping a Band-Aid over that and expect to win late in the year and think you’re going to go to that at the end of the year. It’s not going to f—ing happen.”

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The Eagles also witnessed a sharp decline in their overall offensive rankings last year, compared to 2024, when they won Super Bowl LIX. Last year, the Eagles ranked 19th in the league, averaging 22.3 PPG in scoring offense and 24th in the league, averaging 311.2 total PPG in total offense.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old WR grew frustrated with not receiving enough opportunities last year and eventually started looking for other opportunities in the league. On June 1, the Patriots traded Brown in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick to the New England Patriots. He will reunite with Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing and head coach Mike Vrabel in New England, who worked with Brown in his last stint with the Tennessee Titans.

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Nilaav Ranjan Gogoi

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Nilaav Gogoi is a writer on the combat sports team at EssentiallySports, specializing in fight night coverage and post-fight analysis. A former national-level athlete, he brings a competitive perspective that helps him break down the finer details of what unfolds inside the cage and ring. With over two years of experience covering MMA and boxing, Nilaav has built a strong foundation in live event reporting, play-by-play analysis, and trend-driven storytelling. His reporting blends technical insight with clarity, making complex moments accessible to a wide audience. Also pursuing Sports Management, Nilaav approaches combat sports journalism with both analytical rigor and long-term industry awareness, aiming to deliver informed, engaging coverage for modern fight fans.

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Antra Koul

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