AJ Brown Finally Breaks Silence on Soured Relationship With Jalen Hurts

For the better part of a year, it's been speculated that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and newly acquired New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown didn't like each other.

In fact, Dianna Russini, formerly of The Athletic, reported during last season that there was growing tension between the two.

"Brown and Hurts have a long history," Russini wrote. "High school and college friends turned NFL teammates…I'm told they're not that close these days. Like any friendship, life happens. Family responsibilities, the grind of being pros, shifting priorities. They're friendly, but as one Eagles player described it: ‘It's functional, professional.'"

Now that Brown is with the Patriots and he and Hurts are no longer teammates, the Pro Bowl wideout finally opened up about his relationship with his former QB in an exclusive interview with NBC's Maria Taylor.

"[We're] not as close as we once were," Brown confessed. "That's fine, there's no bad blood. There's actually still a lot of love. I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things he wants to accomplish. I didn't truly understand why our friendship became the center of everybody's attention when it came to football because looking back on it, we haven't been as close as we were for a couple years now.

"But that didn't stop anything - we still competed, we still pushed each other, we still led the team, so it is kind of strange people were so fixated on our relationship. I'm going to say it on camera - I have nothing but love for him. I want him to do well and accomplish everything his heart desires."

Rumors heated up about possible tension between Hurts and Brown when the former didn't show up at the latter's wedding weeks ago.

But as Brown tells it, there wasn't any big blowout, underlying disagreement, or any one issue that led to the two drifting apart.

"Nothing happened," Brown added. "People just grew apart. Nothing happened between me and him, our families, our wives, anything. Nothing like that never happened. But life happens You just look up sometimes and find yourself drifting away. And that's fine. I think both parties accepted it."

While Brown maintains he and Hurts are fine, the informed observer would disagree.

When Brown first arrived in Philadelphia, he and Hurts were always cutting up on the sidelines. However, the last two seasons their dynamic changed.

They kept their distance on the sidelines during games, and the paling around became less and less frequent. While they may not have had a falling out, per se, it became clear to Eagles fans that Hurts and Brown were no longer the inseparable duo they once were.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 3:03 PM.