After months of speculation and reports, A.J. Brown finally made his move to the New England Patriots on June 1. Yet scrutiny over his move followed. Initially, the criticism was mainly directed at his wish to leave the Eagles for the Patriots. And now, the spotlight has shifted to his #1 jersey in New England. And surprisingly, it was none other than Eagles star QB Jalen Hurts’s mom who ignited a debate around Brown’s new jersey number on the internet.

“Petty to say the least,” wrote Hurts’ mom on social media.

Pamela’s comments do not come without reason. The jersey choice instantly felt like a shot to Eagles fans. The drama boiled over on social media. But it peaked when the New England Patriots’ official account posted a picture of Brown in his new jersey with the caption: “The 1️⃣”.

Many interpreted this as a subtle dig implying Brown was the true “Number 1” engine of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. However, the Eagles didn’t stay quiet. Days later, the Philadelphia-based team fired back by posting a photo of Jalen Hurts wearing his No. 1 jersey with the same caption: “The 1️⃣”

And even Pamela Hurts wasn’t the one to stay silent. She reached her breaking point with the narrative and took to social media to defend her son. “This is the only number 1 [pointing towards Hurts]. Right over here,” said Pamela in a video on Instagram. “That man. The only number 1 that we’re ever going to talk about.”

However, A.J. Brown’s intention behind picking the #1 jersey at the Patriots may not have been to poke fun at his former Eagles teammate. Though Brown wore No. 11 for his entire NFL career up to this point, he immediately claimed No. 1 upon arriving in New England. And there could be two primary reasons behind that move.

Firstly, Brown wore No. 1 throughout high school and during his college career at Ole Miss. He spent three seasons playing for them, recording 2,984 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. However, before the Patriots, Brown also tried to get No. 1 at his previous stops but couldn’t.

In Tennessee, the number was retired for Warren Moon. Meanwhile, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts had already claimed it. But the moment Brown arrived at the Patriots, the legendary No. 11 jersey was technically available. While Julian Edelman gave Brown his blessing to wear it, Brown opted to leave No. 11 out of respect and carve his own legacy in No. 1

“He gave me his grace to wear 11, but I have so much respect and so much love for him,” said Brown after joining the Patriots. “I’m going to let that be and create my own legacy here. It’s a match made in heaven, going back to my roots. It feels good.”

So, even if the social media posts were deemed as a dig from Brown and the Patriots at Hurts, the intention behind it may not have been that. Yet, conversations followed. To that end, many started speculating a potential beef between the two standout NFL stars.

Is there any feud between A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts?

Everything was well between the two when A.J. Brown joined Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in 2022. However, as things stand, the duo that became the face of Philadelphia has seemingly drifted apart. And this was evident in their behavior toward each other over the last few weeks.

On May 18, 2026, Brown tied the knot with Kelsey Riley. While NFL stars like DeVonta Smith, Isaiah Rodgers, and DK Metcalf were present, Hurts was notably absent. Facing immense media pressure over his absence, Hurts attempted damage control a few days later.

“Nothing’s changed since we last spoke at the end of the season,” said Hurts to the media. “We’re really good, and I saw how beautiful the pictures came out at his wedding.”

However, when Brown was asked, the 28-year-old WR gave a contradictory statement. Appearing on the 7 p.m. in Brooklyn podcast, Brown noted that they are not as close as we once were and revealed that they actually haven’t been close friends for a couple of years.

Recently, Jalen Hurts’ mom, Pamela, also gave a cryptic statement about her son and A.J. Brown. “People don’t know what they don’t know, so this is what you get,” Hurts’ mom wrote on a TikTok reel’s comments section.

However, Hurts doesn’t seem to mind Brown’s opinion about their friendship. Instead, the Eagles QB appeared unfazed and noted his unwillingness to challenge anyone’s perspective. But can they reconcile and become friends again? Only time will tell.