Eagles star wideout, A.J. Brown was a journalism major at Ole Miss so everything he does has a purpose or meaning to it. The Eagles go-to receiver knows people are watching every word, looking for a headline and itching for him to stumble.
Maybe that is why Brown rarely does fall victim to the so-called rat poison. Sure, he might lose his cool when the football isn’t coming his direction. Or he might argue with his quarterback on the sideline. Or he might pull the silent routine on reporters here and there. Theatrics is an art. Brown is the maestro.
“I was a journalism major in college so I know all the stuff about propaganda and what sells the story, and what highlights the story and what’s going to be the headline,” Brown said on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” YouTube show. “I really just understood: they just doing their job and they picking a side, you know, and it’s just whatever is going to give them more numbers on TV and more attention, and that’s what it is. It’s all attention based so I try to remove all the feelings out of it. If somebody gets personal, come at me disrespectful, then we’ll have to have a conversation it is what it is.”
Brown recently chopped it up with hip-hop pioneer Gillie Da King — a certified Eagles fanatic and good-luck charm — and Wallace Peeples in an hour-long conversation that touched on everything from his relationship with Jalen Hurts to his poverty-stricken childhood.
Brown didn’t hold back any punches, laying it all on the record and reminding people that he’s never satisfied. If you see him looking frustrated about not getting enough targets in a game, well, he probably is mad in that moment. But, that raw emotion is rooted in good. It’s part of his unwavering commitment to excellence.
“You’ll never see me get comfortable. I want to grind for mine,” Brown said. “I think people gotta realize it’s a fine line between stats and winning as far as a wide receiver, and … I get paid $32 million [per year], it’s like top two or three in the league, so if I don’t do my job and I don’t play well, you know what Howie [Roseman] does? He’s like he’s not making his money. I mean, he’s making a lot of money and he’s not putting up these same numbers or stats, so he’s like alright, we could just go get somebody else.”
A.J. Brown doing a Jalen Hurts impression 😂 pic.twitter.com/z7vC4wjsUa
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) February 21, 2025
Brown was speaking in generalities to prove a point. He has no beef with Roseman. None. Zilch. He respects the Eagles’ franchise and loves playing in Philadelphia.
More importantly, the 27-year-old receiver adores catching passes from Hurts. (Remember, Hurts is Godfather to Brown’s daughter Jersee). So, yes, the two star players sometimes argue and get on each other’s nerves but at the end of the day, it’s love. It’s all about raising more Lombardi Trophies together.
“I’d be sitting up here lying to you if I told you we ain’t never had any issues,” Brown said of Hurts. “We’re two guys, two alphas, who want to be the best and demand greatness from each other and everyone around us. So, some reports are true, some reports aren’t true, but me and him good.”
Jalen Hurts has targeted AJ Brown 3 times since this argument.
Twice in the end zone.
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 15, 2023
Brown — forever the journalist, forever a student of history — knows why his ever-evolving relationship with Hurts can be a lightning rod for criticism. There is a specific precedent for how a quarterback and receiver can ruin a good thing.
“We just want to be great and, like I said, we push each other and sometimes we bump heads but that’s normal. And don’t nobody sweat it,” Brown said. “I think with this team, with [Donovan] McNabb and TO, I think everything is magnified times 10.”
Stop Calling the Eagles Underdogs: Super Bowl Champions
The City of Philadelphia wants to perennially be known as underdogs. Blame Rocky. Blame George Washington. Blame Nick Foles. It’s just something pricked into the region’s DNA, like an uncontrolled dose of The Substance. No one likes us, we don’t care.
Brandon Graham:
“We’re from Philly, F-ing Philly
No one likes us, We don’t care.”#EaglesParade #ParadeofChampions #BrandonGraham #Philly #NoOneLikesUs #Philadelphia #FlyEaglesFly #ThankyouEagles pic.twitter.com/KyRMvIfdau— 🦅 AC 🦅 (@ACinPhilly) February 14, 2025
Fine. However, the underdog theme is kind of over. The Eagles have won two Super Bowls in seven years while advancing to two in three years. Hold off on the D word … but retire those dog masks. The Eagles are loaded.
“We’re not underdogs,” Brown said. “I’m going to keep it above with you, I didn’t even know why Jalen [Hurts] be up there saying he been counted out, he been doubted — man, we ain’t doubt it.
“Listen, we went to the Super Bowl two years ago and then the next year we started off 10-1 and we lost at the end. Now, we just won a Super Bowl.”
Gilly Da King was trying his hardest to rein Brown in. He explained the history of the NFC East and how the Eagles were the laughing stock for so many years. Problem is, it’s just not the case anymore. These Eagles are champions.
“The city can be underdogs,” Brown said, “but the team … we not underdogs.”
From Humble Beginnings in Starkville, Mississippi
A.J. Brown is quick to praise Jesus for all his accomplishments. It’s not a boilerplate. It’s not a placebo. It’s the truth.
He grew up on “unmarked roads, dead tracks and a dusty drive” in a poor neighborhood about five miles from downtown Starkville, Mississippi. Brown takes nothing for granted.
“I seen the bottom before,” Brown said. “I grew up in a trailer. I know what it looks like to eat ketchup sandwiches, stuff like that, and experience those things … to now have whatever I want, do whatever I want, buy whatever I want …
“He’s been blessing me tremendously, even more than I asked for. He’s still blessing me. He’s the reason I’m here and doing what I’m doing. He gave me this gift.”
Brown’s hometown is roughly 20 minutes from where Jerry Rice grew up. So, it’s no surprise to hear Rice — the unquestioned GOAT — top his personal list of the greatest receivers to ever do it. Here’s his rankings: 1. Jerry Rice, 2. Randy Moss, 3. Larry Fitzgerald, 4. Terrell Owens, 5. Julio Jones … adding that Antonio Brown would be No. 6.
His current list of best receivers goes like this: 1. Justin Jefferson, 2. Ja’Marr Chase, 3. A.J. Brown … although he added: “For me, personally, I feel like I’m the best in the league right now.”
Modest since Brown is the only one with a ring on that list. To launch him further up the ladder, the Eagles star intends to add a new wrinkle to his game.
“I’m thinking about taking ballet this offseason,” Brown said.
Julio Jones Instilled Many Life Lessons
Julio Jones was a mentor to Brown on the Titans and Eagles. He watches highlights of his former teammate (and listens to Adele) while psyching himself up on gamedays. Jones is one of his heroes, a guy who imparted many life lessons including this one: “Julio told me don’t try and embarrass nobody because they got families watching at home.”
That doesn’t mean Brown doesn’t talk trash on the field. He does. He just tries to limit it, resorting to verbal jabs only when instigated. Marshon Lattimore has the biggest mouth in the NFL, according to Brown.
“He’s a good player, but I bully the bully,” Brown said. “I’m not going for none of that out here.”
a week ago, the NFL penalized Lattimore but NOT A.J. Brown for this
today, the NFL fined A.J. Brown but NOT Lattimore
NFL officials & their player fine system continue to be a total clown show pic.twitter.com/K1L9X36Luh
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 2, 2025
When Trent McDuffie started something in Super Bowl 59, Brown shrugged it off. He finished by taking the chip, the one the Chiefs wanted for the three-peat. Save that trash talk for another day because the Eagles are … looking to repeat in 2025?
“Man, we definitely have a big chance,” Brown said of repeating as champs. “A lot has to change because everybody is going to adapt to us and watch a lot of film. We went from the hunting to being the hunted now.”
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
