After wide receiver AJ Brown was dealt away from the Philadelphia Eagles, fans were left to wonder where the pass catcher’s relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts stood.
Hurts and Brown won Super Bowl LIX together and were a top quarterback-receiver pairing in the NFL for years. The two formed a strong bond in Philadelphia, with Brown naming Hurts as the godfather of his daughter.
But now, Brown has been dealt to the New England Patriots – his favorite team growing up – in exchange for a first-round pick and a fifth-round pick.
With the two now on opposite sides, it left fans curious over how their relationship stands.
In an interview with Maria Taylor for ‘7PM in Brooklyn,’ Brown revealed that he and Hurts are now ‘not as close as we once were.’
But he maintains, ‘I believe that’s fine. There’s no bad blood, there’s actually still a lot of love. I love him, I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he wants to accomplish.’
Newly acquired Patriots wideout AJ Brown shared insights into his relationship with his old QB
Brown said his relationship with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is not what it once was in the past
Now, Brown will start a new path with the team he rooted for growing up
He continued, ‘I didn’t truly understand why our friendship became… the center of everybody’s attention when it came to football… looking back on it we haven’t been as close as we were for a couple years now, but that didn’t stop anything, you know.
‘We still competed, we still pushed each other, we still led the team. So, it’s just kind of strange, you know. People just got so fixated on the relationship and wanted to talk about maybe from the history or this place, but you know, that wasn’t what this was.
‘I’m gonna say it to you, I’m gonna say it on camera, I got nothing but love for him, you know. I want him to do well and accomplish everything his heart desires.’
When asked by Taylor if anything specific led to the growing rift in their friendship, Brown said, ‘Nothing happened, you know. People just grow apart.
‘Nothing happened between me and him or our families, wives, anything. Nothing like that ever happened. But life happens.’
Now, Brown is off to the team he loved growing up and can form a similarly successful partnership with burgeoning Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
His love for the Patriots ran so deep that he even had a rug with the Patriots logo on it in his house in Philadelphia.
‘Some things just never change, this is my team, this is my team since I was a kid,’ he explained to Taylor. ‘I was doing what I was supposed to be doing as an Eagle, but this is it.’
