Getty Tennessee Titans wide receiver AJ Brown warming up before an NFL game.
Jalen Hurts tried to recruit AJ Brown to Alabama. Now it looks as if the dual-threat quarterback is attempting to lure the Pro Bowl receiver to the Philadelphia Eagles. It makes sense. Maybe too much sense.
Brown is one of the top pass-catchers in the league, and Hurts is desperate for another weapon. The 6-foot-1, 226-pounder is built in the DK Metcalf mode, a game-changing, big-bodied target who has 185 catches for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons. He’s playing on the final year of his rookie contract with a base salary of $3.98 million (via Spotrac) in 2022.
Would the Eagles make a run at him in free agency? Or try to trade for him before the Tennessee Titans lock him up? Rumors are swirling after the NFL’s official Twitter account recently mocked up a photo of Hurts and DeVonta Smith sporting Kelly green jerseys. (Remember, the Eagles announced earlier this week that they would be busting them out in 2023).
AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts on the NFL’s recent post 👀
Under the photo, in the comments, Hurts and Brown have an interesting exchange (h/t to hurts@szn01) where Brown drops the fire emoji in regard to the uniforms. Hurts follows it up by saying: “Shidd You Tryna Make That Happen??” To which Brown replies: “see here you wanna stir up some shii.” It could mean nothing, but it’s certainly worth noting considering the long-standing relationship between Hurts and Brown.
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Hurts Calls Brown ‘One of My Best Friends’
Hurts revealed during the NFL Scouting Combine that he had tried to recruit Brown to come to Alabama. The pitch didn’t work. Brown ended up going to Ole Miss and Hurts eventually transferred to Oklahoma. But the two star athletes remained in touch and struck up a fast friendship. Hurts had leaned on Brown to help him navigate the draft process when he was going through it in 2020.
QB Jalen Hurts on his close relationship w/ #Titans WR A.J. Brown: “I tried to recruit him to Alabama. We’ve been very close ever since. He’s one of my best friends.”
#NFLCombine
“It’s been very supportive,” Hurts told Buck Reising in 2020 of their relationship. “I’ve been very supportive of him, just talking about, like I said, it’s beyond football with me and him. He’s a great friend. It’s very cool to see him have the year he had this year and I know he’s hungry for more.”
.@JalenHurts has received plenty of support from his friend #Titans WR @Brown1arthur @AtoZSports
Hurts was even in attendance at Brown’s draft night party in 2019 when he went to the Titans in the second round (51st overall). Look for the quarterback in the below clip (h/t to @_CrimsoEagle_). He’s the one wearing the stylish Polo Ralph Lauren attire. In fact, their relationship dates back to 2017 when they coached a high school team together.
@hurts_szn01 You can also see Jalen Hurts in this clip from AJ Brown’s draft night party
Nick Sirianni Content with Eagles WR Group
The Eagles’ depth chart might look uninspiring on paper – DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward highlight the top five – but there is excitement about them in the building. Head coach Nick Sirianni continues to hype his receivers up, comparing them to other elite units he’s coached.
“I’m very pleased with this wide receiver group,” Sirianni said. “I’m constantly thinking about other groups I’ve had in the past, about how this group stacks up against taht group, this group was a No. 1 passing offense in the NFL, how does this group stack up? And I’m very pleased of how our wide receiver group [stacks up]. We’re young, we know that, we’re a young wide receiver group that is still developing.”
Coach Sirianni on the team’s wide receivers
Sirianni had the sixth-best passing attack in the NFL back in 2018 when he was offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. That group averaged 278.8 yards per game, thanks to T.Y. Hilton, Eric Ebron, Chester Rogers, and Ryan Grant. Of course, Andrew Luck was the quarterback.