The Philadelphia Eagles finalized a trade with the New England Patriots on June 1, sending AJ Brown to Foxborough.
With Brown no longer on the roster, as he requested, the Eagles will begin to lean on DeVonta Smith as the top wide receiver for Jalen Hurts.
For all but one season of his pro career, Smith played alongside AJ Brown. On Tuesday, June 2, Smith addressed reporters for the first time since the trade took place.
Eagles Star DeVonta Smith Gets Honest On AJ Brown Trade
Getty ImagesNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 09: A.J. Brown #11 and DeVonta Smith #6 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrate after Smith scored a touchdown in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The initial reaction to the trade didn’t come with any shock for Smith.
“I mean, business is business,” he said after Tuesday’s OTAs session. “I don’t got no say so in that.”
Says “1,2,3,4” it doesn’t matter what people label him. He just wants to do his job
Smith, like the rest of the NFL world, saw it coming from a mile away. Brown played through the 2025 NFL season frustrated. Although he went through the trade deadline without getting moved, the ex-Eagles receiver demanded a change of scenery once the offseason started.
Roughly 30 minutes after the 4 PM ET mark on Monday, Brown was sent to the Patriots in exchange for a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027.
DeVonta Smith Opens Up On AJ Brown Relationship
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 13: A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates scoring a touchdown with teammate DeVonta Smith #6 during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field on October 13, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Heather Barry/Getty Images)
When Brown arrived in Philadelphia, Smith was just a second-year wideout, looking to improve after a promising rookie effort.
Smith and Brown grew close over time.
“[I’ll miss] just the relationship we had, the brotherhood, and things like that,” Smith told reporters.
“You know, some things you look back, and you know we had a good time here, we had a great time here on the things that we did, things we accomplished on the field, off the field, you know, you always share those moments.”
Brown didn’t single out any of his former teammates outside of addressing his relationship with Jalen Hurts during his first sit-down interview since the trade, but he left the team with a mutual feeling about his teammates as a whole.
DeVonta Smith’s Reaction To Becoming No. 1
GettyDeVonta Smith #6 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter in the game at Lincoln Financial Field on September 16, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
There’s no question about Smith’s standing on the depth chart with the Eagles.
Now that Brown is out of the picture, Smith is Jalen Hurts’ No. 1 target. But that’s just a talking point for everybody else.
“I mean, I’m just going out there to do my job,” Smith explained.
“I mean, regardless, however you want to look at it, 1234, whatever you want to look at it, at the end of the day, we all have jobs that we have to go out there and do.”
While there might be a lot of questions about Smith’s ability to be the No. 1 for an Eagles team with championship expectations, the veteran wideout is confident in the revamped wide receiver room.
“When you have a room like the one we have, it brings the best out of everybody else. Everybody wants to compete, everybody wants to be the best,” Smith explained.
“We’re out there to help each other, but ultimately, we’re all here to compete for a position. I think that’s the good thing about having this job, you know, you deal with guys, and you compete with everybody, but at the end of the day, it’s all love.”