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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterDec 11, 2024, 06:35 PM ET
- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_McManus.
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver A.J. Brown addressed the speculation surrounding their relationship Wednesday, with both indicating it isn’t fractured, as teammate Brandon Graham suggested earlier this week.
“BG was just being BG,” Brown said at his locker Wednesday. “He’s emotional. In that case, he just misspoke. Me and Jalen are good.”
Hurts echoed Brown’s sentiment, saying that Graham, one of the most respected players on the team, “spoke out of place. He knows that.”
The drama started following the Eagles’ 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers, marking their ninth consecutive victory. The passing game was not up to their standards, as Hurts finished 14-of-21 for 108 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Brown, who wasn’t targeted until late in the second quarter despite flashing open on a couple of occasions, slammed his helmet on the sideline following a three-and-out and expressed frustration after the game.
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When asked where improvement was needed on offense, Brown tersely responded, “Passing.” Some, including Graham, interpreted it as Brown pointing the finger toward Hurts.
During his weekly radio show Monday, Graham said of Hurts and Brown: “They were friends before this, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But it’s the business side that we have to make sure the personal doesn’t get in the way of the business.”
That set off a media firestorm locally and nationally.
“I think that’s what the world did,” Brown said. “They perceived what I said about passing and felt like it was an attack on Jalen, and that’s what [Graham] did. Me and Jalen’s relationship is personal.”
Brown added that he highlighted the passing game’s shortcomings for a specific reason.
“Because we went to the Super Bowl [during the 2022 season] and lost. We tried again the next year. It was a [10-1] record [in 2023] and there was a landslide,” Brown said, referring to the Eagles losing five of their last six regular-season games before bowing out in the wild-card round. “And here we go again. It’s something that we can correct right now while we have the opportunity.”
The Eagles are 11-2 and currently hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Their winning streak coincided with the decision to lean more into their ground attack, led by Saquon Barkley, which has produced very good results. The Eagles are tops in the league with over 190 rushing yards per game, fueling Barkley’s MVP bid as well as their winning streak.
The flip side is that Philadelphia is last in the league in passing and has struggled to get into a rhythm — something the key figures on the team say they’re working hard to change.
Coach Nick Sirianni said he spoke with the parties involved and addressed what transpired this week during Wednesday’s team meeting.
The hope now is the focus can turn away from all the relationship talk to the formidable Pittsburgh Steelers, whom they will host this week.
“We are moving on,” tackle Jordan Mailata said. “It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, not the A.J. Brown and Jalen show. It is the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it.”
