‘Life happens’: A.J. Brown opens up about ‘drifting away’ from Jalen Hurts

When superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, he was one of the focal points of the offense and seemingly had a strong relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts. That changed in 2025, and Brown is now opening up about it.

While Brown was outspoken in his criticism of the Eagles’ offense at times throughout 2025, he did not appear to have the same relationship with Hurts as he had in previous seasons; it doesn’t sound like there was anything that necessarily sparked a feud or rift between the two stars.

During a recent interview following a trade to the New England Patriots, Brown opened up a little bit about “drifting away” from Hurts.

‘Life Happens’

Brown’s time with the Eagles officially came to an end this week as he was finally traded to the New England Patriots, where he can now start fresh. In an interview with Maria Taylor following the trade, Brown spoke candidly about his time in Philadelphia and his relationship with Hurts.

While Brown did not seem to understand why there was so much interest in his relationship with Hurts, he did admit that the two were “not as close as we once were” by the end of the 2025 season. However, he said nothing led to that besides simply “drifting away.”

“Nothing happened, people just grow apart,” Brown told Taylor during the interview. “Nothing happened between me and him or our families, wives, anything. Nothing like that ever happened. Life happens, and you just look up sometimes and you find yourself drifting away, and that’s fine. And I think both parties accepted that.”

Both Moving On

While the two stars did drift apart, Brown made it clear “that didn’t stop anything” the team was trying to accomplish on the field. He also said he wants Hurts to do well and “accomplish everything his heart desires” in the future.

Brown, meanwhile, will be with the Patriots. And it sounds like the team is excited to have him.

“He loves football. He has a physical skill set. I think he has great body control and can be strong at the catch point,” Vrabel said of Brown joining the team. “He’s been a productive, consistent player.”

It sounds like this could be a positive change for everyone involved, allowing everyone to get a fresh start and move on after a frustrating 2025 season.