Eagles star A.J. Brown breaks silence on viral trade rumors after crashing out of playoffs
Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown is once again the focus of attention for NFL trade rumors with the franchise smarting from the wounds of their playoff exit.
The vaunted Eagles limped towards the playoffs on the back of consecutive losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants. They were matched up against the resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round and were promptly humbled by Baker Mayfield and co. in a 32-9 loss. Since then, Jason Kelce has hinted that he may quite possibly retire, dealing a major blow to the franchise.
It didn't take long for NFL Twitter to link A.J. Brown with an exit as well, just two years on from his trade in from Tennessee. On the Up and Adams Show on Wednesday, Jan. 31, Brown responded to speculation linking him away from Philly.
NFL Trade Rumors: A.J. Brown responds to speculation of an exit
When asked for his thoughts on multiple rumors of an exit, Brown said:
“I don’t know. Maybe they (NFL Twitter) know something I don’t know. I’ve been through this before. I’m a vet. I’ll remain quiet. If something happens, I’ll be waiting by the phone. If not, I’ll be right here."
The host Kay Adams then proceeded to enquire about some suspicious activity on his Instagram wherein he scrubbed all mention of the Eagles in the build-up to the playoffs.
Brown responded:
“That had nothing to do with football. It was just to block out any negativity.”
What did the Eagles give up in the A.J. Brown trade?
During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Eagles and the Titans left fans of their respective franchises shell-shocked after pulling off the surprise trade.
The Eagles gave up their first-round pick (18th overall) and a third-round pick (101st overall) to bring Brown to Philly. At the time, the consensus was that the Eagles had won the trade. The fact that they made it all the way to the 2023 Super Bowl reinforced that notion.
For his part, Brown told ESPN that he would've extended his stay in Tennessee had the franchise coughed up $22 million a year. The Titans reportedly offered him $16M a year, which wasn't enough in Brown's eyes.