For someone who makes over $30 million per year, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown sure does complain a lot. Most of his complaints, somehow, seem to come after his team wins games.
The latest complaint from Brown — and it’s honestly hard to keep track of how much he’s complained at this point — came on a livestream video with podcaster Janky Rondo on Tuesday night in which Brown called the Eagles’ season a “S–t Show” when asked how things have been going for Brown and if he was OK.
“No,” Brown replied as he played the Madden 26 video game. “Where have you been? … Family’s good. Everything else? No … It’s a s–t show … if you got me in fantasy (football), get rid of me.”
Brown’s latest online diss came just one day after the Eagles improved to 7-2 with a 10-7, Week 10 road win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football in which Brown had 2 receptions for 13 yards on 3 targets.
The Eagles are trying to win a second consecutive Super Bowl this year, and with Brown as one of their highest paid players after he signed a 3-year, $96 million contract extension before last season.
For Brown, the pattern of criticizing his team and taking veiled, passive aggressive shots at his teammates then backtracking goes back several years. It also only seems to come when his team wins but he doesn’t put up big numbers.
If people on the internet are getting sick of Brown’s constant complaining when his team is winning, imagine how his teammates must feel who have to deal with him in real life.
“A.J. Brown just slappin all of his teammates in the face yet again!” Sports Radio 94 WIP’s Hunter Brody wrote on his official X account on November 12.
“The media has stirred up drama at times, but this certainly isn’t one of those situations,” The Philly Special’s Anthony DiBona wrote on his official X account. “A.J. Brown is doing more than enough on his own to fan the flames in Philadelphia.”
The target of Brown’s passive aggressive vitriol is almost always the same — quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“I think it’s a relationship issue,” former Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant said. “That’s my thing. I think that this has nothing to do with, I don’t think that it’s football only. I think this is these two guys used to be best friends, and they’re not. And I think that it’s a hard situation to deal with.”
Brown has 31 receptions for 408 yards and 3 touchdowns in 8 games — he missed one game with a hamstring injury — and is on track to have his worst statistical season as a pro.
“AJ Brown is a diva,” NFL reporter James Nagle wrote on his official X account. “At the same time, you’d be hard-pressed to find a WR of his caliber who isn’t. He’s the best WR in Eagles history & after 16 years without a true WR1, I truly couldn’t care less what he says on social media. Anyone who wants him gone is insane.”
The New York Jets didn’t just hand out one blockbuster contract extension this offseason, but two.
For a few months, there was speculation about the possibility of the Jets signing Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to long-term contract extensions. Both have been with the team since being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Gardner and Wilson have thrived in New York and are widely seen among the best overall at their positions. The Jets picked up their fifth-year options and then signed both to long-term extensions.
So, what went into the timing of the deals? Jets general manager Darren Mougey was interviewed during the Jets and New York Giants’ preseason showdown on Saturday night. Mougey was asked about Gardner and Wilson and talked about how the two are building blocks for the team and how they wanted to get deals done before training camp to avoid any distractions.
“Players that fit our culture, our brand” Mougey said. “We targeted those guys through free agency and you said it, we identified Sauce and Garrett as young, talented players that produced in this league and did well and guys we want to be a part of this for the long haul. Getting around those guys as we first got here and seeing what they’re about, how they work, how they lead and it was important for us to really get that done in the offseason so we could avoid any distractions in training camp. I’m glad it worked out.”
Gardner landed a four-year, $120.4 million extension while Wilson signed a four-year, $130 million extension with New York.
Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn quickly made it clear after they were hired by the Jets that they were going to do things differently. Doing deals like this early certainly is different than the regime of old. They were the right moves to make. Although neither were close to free agency, it’s a commitment to the core of the franchise. It’s what good teams do and will save the team some cash in the long run as well as prices keep rising. There’s no doubt the Jets made the right decisions. Now, it’s going to be interesting how the duo — plus other offseason acquisitions — mesh in the regular season.