On what was arguably the worst night of his 7-year NFL career, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown didn’t want to face the music.
Instead, Brown refused to speak with the media following a 23-19 NFC Wild Card Round home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in which he not only had to be separated from head coach Nick Sirianni during a first half sideline confrontation but dropped several critical passes.
“A.J. Brown declined to speak to the media just now,” Eagles beat reporter EJ Smith wrote on X following the game. “He gave handshakes to a handful of his teammates on his way out of the locker room and told a group of reporters he was ‘about to go.’ “
Brown finished the game with 3 receptions for 25 yards and 3 drops. He didn’t have any catches in the second half for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Per the NFL Players Association’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, players can be subject to fines for refusing to speak to the media — something Brown could very well be subject to in the near future.
Brown, who signed a 3-year, $96 million contract before the 2024 season, now heads into an offseason in which his future in Philadelphia is very much in doubt.
“A.J. Brown’s future with the Eagles has been a major topic of conversation this season and it’s likely that this was his final game in Philadelphia,” Football Forever wrote on X. “The Eagles are expected to consider trade offers for the star wideout this Spring. Where will Brown be playing next season?”
Bizarre First Half Sideline Spat With Sirianni
Late in the first half against the 49ers, Sirianni sprinted down the sideline, screaming at someone — someone who turned out to be 3-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Then there was Sirianni and Brown, face-to-face, screaming at each other in a heated exchange before they had to be separated by Eagles security chief Dom “Big Dom” DiSandro. Brown took his helmet off and continued to chirp at Sirianni as more players and support staff intervened.
It all happened after Brown dropped 2 long passes from quarterback Jalen Hurts and right before the defending Super Bowl champions went into halftime with a 13-10 lead.
“I’m not sure this even registers as a top-10 A.J. Brown controversy,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on his official X account. “Sirianni told him to get off the field, seemingly to avoid a penalty for too many men. Jordan Mailata was close, too. There was time on the play clock and it got reset though.”
Financial Repercussions for Trading Brown
Trading Brown might be in the best interest of everyone involved, and he’s been paving the way for his exit for several years with continued shots at the offense and Hurts.
It would just be really expensive to trade Brown. The Eagles would incur a massive, $43.5 million dead cap hit for the Eagles over the next 2 seasons if he’s traded this offseason.
“Just looked, it’d *add* $20M to the Eagles cap next year if they traded A.J. Brown,” Underdog’s Hayden Winks wrote on X after the loss to the 49ers. “Hard to stomach that. Would be a lot easier to get rid of the people he’s currently mad at: Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo.”
Eagles WR A.J. Brown Could Face NFL Punishment for Actions Following Playoff Loss