The long-awaited A.J. Brown trade to New England finally went through on June 1, ending a national distraction both for the fans and the players themselves.
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“Thank God it’s over,” Jordan Mailata said. “It was a slow pain of just, is he in, is he out?”
But NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday that Brown, who was spotted catching passes from Drake Maye at Patriots camp less than 24 hours after the trade, stopped in the Eagles’ facility after the deal went down to pick up a few leftover items, say his goodbyes, and leave a parting message on the wall.
Throughout the Jefferson Health Training Complex, the team has life-sized photos of franchise greats — from Pro Bowlers to Hall of Famers — lining the walls. Underneath the picture of Brown, alongside the Eagles’ other Pro Bowlers, the receiver reportedly wrote: “The best to ever play here. Always open.”
In an organization that’s seen wideouts like Terrell Owens, Harold Carmichael, DeSean Jackson, and Mike Quick — not to mention DeVonta Smith still on the roster — that’s high praise he’s giving himself.
From @gmfb: A.J. Brown stopped by the #Eagles’ facility last week to pick up some items, say goodbye and leave a parting message on the wall.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 9, 2026
Meanwhile, as for the conspiracy theory floating around on what led to the Brown-Hurts rift, Big Dom and others are adamant it’s bogus. pic.twitter.com/M134pe9j8d
Despite rumors of a rift between Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts, the veteran wide receiver told NBC’s Maria Taylor in his first interview after the trade that he and Hurts had “no beef” — even if they are not as close as they once were.
In four seasons in Philadelphia, Brown racked up 5,034 receiving yards, 32 touchdowns, two Pro Bowls selections, and three All-Pro nods — plus two Super Bowl appearances and one win.
So how do those numbers compare to other Eagles receivers? Here are the team’s all-time receiving leaders, sorted by total yards. Fifteen players have recorded at least 4,000 yards with the Birds, and Brown currently ranks ninth, although he will likely be passed this season by both Smith and Dallas Goedert.
In addition to being ninth in total yards, Brown ended his Eagles career 13th in both receptions and receiving touchdowns. Where he really stands out is in yards per game — his 81.2 yards rank second behind Owens (93.5) among players to appear in at least 20 games. However, Owens, who is noticeably absent from the above list due to playing parts of just two seasons in Philly, also averaged nearly a touchdown per game (0.95), while Brown averaged a little more than half that (0.52).
The Eagles will next see Brown in New England at joint practices on Aug. 19 and 20.
A.J. Brown is officially an Eagle no more! We knew the move was coming for weeks, if not months, but that doesn’t make the departure of the Pro Bowl wide receiver and Super Bowl champion any less jarring. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy react to general manager Howie Roseman’s trade with the New England Patriots. Listen here.
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