Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown opened up about his animated sideline interaction with quarterback Jalen Hurts during last week’s victory against the Minnesota Vikings.
Everyone knows it was a horrible look for Brown – especially considering the Eagles had a comfortable lead at the time. He came across as nothing less than selfish.
However, Brown addressed the situation and assured fans and media that there was no rift between he and Hurts at all.
He acknowledged that emotions were running high but emphasized that the sideline exchange was nothing more than a simple discussion between teammates.
“The little sideline discussion, I want you all to know that’s what it was – it was a discussion,” Brown said. “This is a game that we both love, and I want everybody to understand that sometimes emotions run high. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. That doesn’t mean I’m beefing with Jalen.”
AJ Brown on the Jalen Hurts sideline “incident”: “Sometimes emotions run high.. That doesn’t mean I’m beefing with Jalen. *laughs* And no, it was not about targets. I’m sure everybody thought that because he threw me the ball 3x in a row afterwards. But no, I was not over there… pic.twitter.com/BpaVAX5xBH
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) September 21, 2023
The incident in question was captured by the broadcast cameras at the start of the fourth quarter. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni had to intervene between the two and cool Brown down.
Subsequently, Hurts targeted Brown three times on the following series, including a 25-yard touchdown pass that was nullified due to a penalty.
aj brown looked pissed at jalen hurts 😳
pic.twitter.com/xUJdCIpldx— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) September 15, 2023
Several of Brown’s teammates had suggested that his frustration stemmed from a desire to be more involved in the offense. However, Brown clarified that the conversation with Hurts was not about targets but rather something that occurred earlier in the game.
“I know everybody took that out of context, but it’s not a big deal, me and him are still on the same page, we’re still growing, we’re still trying to become great and get wins most importantly,” Brown explained.
Following the Eagles’ 34-28 victory, Brown left the stadium without addressing the media. When asked about his post-game actions, Brown said, “The reason I left after the game is because my emotion was high, so I had to remove myself. Because I know [the media] wants a story and you all are doing your job … but I just had to clear my mind before [talking].”
Brown currently shares targets with fellow standout receiver DeVonta Smith, who led the team against Minnesota with four catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Smith has 11 receptions on 15 targets for 178 yards and two touchdowns this season, while Brown has 11 catches on 16 targets for 108 yards. Together, they account for 79% of the Eagles’ receiving yards, 59% of the targets, and 55% of the receptions, making them the highest percentage receiving duo in the league this season.
Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts also addressed the situation, emphasizing his strong bond with Brown. “Y’all talked about it and made it a big deal when it wasn’t,” he said. “That’s always going to be my guy.”
“We’re all great competitors and we all want to help the team win. Nothing’s going to change with that, and he’s going to continue to put his best foot forward to help the team.”
What did you make of the sideline spat?
Was it just competitive fire by Brown? Or was he being a tad selfish?