A.J. Brown was frustrated with his former quarterback Jalen Hurts' reluctance to target him on tight-window throws against zone coverage, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Sarah Barshop, Mike Reiss, Daniel Oyefusi, and Tim McManus.
The wide receiver's angst over Hurts' play contributed to his displeasure with the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, ESPN added, ultimately leading the team to trade Brown to the New England Patriots for a 2028 first-round selection and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The 28-year-old made multiple cryptic posts during the 2025 season about his role in Philly and called his situation a "shit show" on a Twitch stream in November.
Opposing defenses increased their zone coverage rate against the Eagles' offense from 65.8% in 2024 to 71.5% in 2025, according to TruMedia. Specifically, teams played Cover 2 against Philly at the ninth-highest rate last season, a drastic increase from 26th-highest in 2024.
Drake Maye, Brown's new quarterback in New England, finished first in QBR when throwing into tight windows last year, according to ESPN's Mina Kimes. Brown is first among NFL pass-catchers in receptions when targeted in tight windows over the last three seasons.
Hurts and Brown were considered very close when the wideout arrived in Philadelphia in 2022. After being traded to the Patriots, Brown said the two are not as close as they once were but there's no bad blood between them.
The duo reached two Super Bowls during their four-year run with the Eagles and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in the 2024 season after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. Hurts was the MVP runner-up in 2022, and Brown's 5,034 receiving yards since arriving in Philly rank fifth in the league.
However, Brown's 66.9 yards per game in 2025 was the worst mark of his career since his rookie season in 2019. He finished the year with 78 receptions on 121 targets for 1,003 receiving yards in 15 contests.
