In the quiet of a Foxborough practice field, A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts stood on opposite sidelines for the first time since a trade severed one of the NFL's most celebrated partnerships — and confirmed they have not spoken in over two months. The silence between them is not bitterness declared, but distance accumulated, the kind that forms when professional frustration and unspoken grievances go unresolved across an entire offseason. Yet both men chose the language of love over grievance, suggesting that some bonds, even when strained by commerce and competition, resist a clean ending.
A.J. Brown confirms no contact with Jalen Hurts since Patriots trade
It's love. I won a Super Bowl ring with them. It will always be love.
Mark
Why does it matter that they haven't spoken? They're on different teams now.
Mimi
Because they were close. They built something together—record-setting seasons, a real partnership. When that breaks, people want to understand why. The silence tells you the break was real.
Mark
But they both said nice things about each other at the practice.
Mimi
They did. That's the interesting part. They're being gracious publicly, but they haven't actually talked. There's a difference between saying you love someone and actually being in contact with them.
Mark
Do you think they'll reconcile?
Mimi
Brown left the door open. He said it could happen during the joint practices. But he also made it clear his focus is on New England now. That's not the language of someone rushing to repair a friendship.
Mark
What was really wrong between them?
Mimi
Brown felt underutilized—especially in certain coverages. He was one of the best receivers in football, and he believed the offense wasn't getting him the ball enough. That kind of frustration, when it builds over a season, doesn't disappear with a polite exchange.
Mark
So the trade was about more than just needing a fresh start?
Mimi
It was about a partnership that had run its course. Sometimes two talented people just stop working together, even when they've been great before. The silence since June suggests they haven't found a way past that yet.
El Pulso
- A single word — 'No' — confirmed that Brown and Hurts have gone the entire offseason without a single conversation, a striking void given how central their partnership once was to Philadelphia's offensive identity.
- Brown's departure was not sudden but the product of mounting frustration: a belief he was being undertargeted against zone coverage, public discontent, and ultimately a direct request to general manager Howie Roseman for a fresh start.
- On the practice field, both men deflected tension with deliberate warmth — Brown urging reporters toward positivity, Hurts offering unprompted affection — as if each was protecting something fragile from outside pressure.
- Brown showed immediate promise with his new quarterback Drake Maye, hauling in all six of his targets during team drills and speaking enthusiastically about their developing chemistry.
- Brown left the door open for a conversation before the joint practices concluded, framing his current focus not as rejection of the past but as commitment to the present: 'That's where my feet are.'
In the quiet of a Foxborough practice field, A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts stood on opposite sidelines for the first time since a trade severed one of the NFL's most celebrated partnerships — and confirmed they have not spoken in over two months. The silence between them is not bitterness declared, but distance accumulated, the kind that forms when professional frustration and unspoken grievances go unresolved across an entire offseason. Yet both men chose the language of love over grievance, suggesting that some bonds, even when strained by commerce and competition, resist a clean ending.
A.J. Brown returned to face his former team on Wednesday, standing on the Foxborough practice field as a New England Patriot for the first time since his trade from Philadelphia. The question everyone wanted answered was simple: had he and Jalen Hurts spoken since the split? The answer, delivered in a single word, was no — a silence that had stretched unbroken across more than two months.
The fracture had been building throughout the 2025 season. Brown, who had set Eagles receiving records in back-to-back years, grew increasingly frustrated with what he perceived as insufficient targeting against zone coverage. His discontent surfaced in social media posts and media comments throughout the year. After Philadelphia's wild-card exit at home against San Francisco, Brown made his wishes known to general manager Howie Roseman, and the trade followed.
On Wednesday, both men chose their words with care. Brown deflected pointed questions about his relationship with Hurts, urging reporters toward positivity and closing with 'It's love my way.' Hurts, now a Super Bowl LIX MVP, responded in kind: 'I've got a lot of love for him and always have.' Brown suggested a conversation might still happen before the joint practices ended — not closure, he made clear, but perhaps a beginning.
On the field, Brown caught all six of his targets from third-year quarterback Drake Maye and spoke warmly about their developing chemistry. During breaks, he drifted toward former teammates Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean, the conversations easy and familiar. 'I won a Super Bowl ring with them,' he said of his Eagles tenure. 'It will always be love. But I'm here now — that's where my feet are.'
A.J. Brown stood on the practice field in Foxborough on Wednesday with his new team, the New England Patriots, facing the Philadelphia Eagles—the organization he'd called home for three seasons. More than two months had passed since the trade that sent him north in exchange for future draft picks, and the question hanging over the joint practice was unavoidable: had he and Jalen Hurts, his former quarterback and once-close partner, spoken since the split?
The answer was no. When asked directly whether he'd had any conversation with Hurts since June, Brown offered a single word: "No." The silence between them had stretched unbroken across the entire offseason, a stark contrast to the years when the two had formed one of the league's most productive offensive duos. Brown had set Eagles receiving records in back-to-back seasons—1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 in 2023—but something had fractured beneath the surface.
The 2025 season had been uneven for both Brown and the Eagles' offense as a whole. Frustration had mounted. Sources indicated that Brown believed he wasn't being targeted enough when defenses played zone coverage, and his social media posts and media comments throughout the year had reflected a growing discontent with his role. When the Eagles were eliminated in the wild-card round at home by San Francisco in January, Brown made his position clear to general manager Howie Roseman: he needed a change of scenery. The trade followed.
But on the practice field Wednesday, both men chose their words carefully. When reporters pressed Brown about his relationship with Hurts, he deflected with a kind of weary wisdom. "Honestly guys, none of that stuff even matters, man," he said. "You all should want to report something positive. You know asking the question is going to turn negative. So let's not get into that. Let's keep everything positive. It's love my way." Hurts, for his part—now a Super Bowl LIX MVP—offered warmth in return. "I've got a lot of love for him and always have," he said.
Brown did leave the door open for reconnection during the remaining joint practices in Foxborough, suggesting that a conversation might still happen before the Eagles and Patriots parted ways. On the field, he caught all six of his targets from Patriots third-year quarterback Drake Maye during team drills, though he couldn't haul in a pass against All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in one-on-one competition. Brown spoke positively about his developing chemistry with Maye, describing the young quarterback as special and noting that he makes the receiver's job easier.
During breaks, Brown gravitated toward familiar faces—former Eagles teammates Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean. The conversations appeared easy, comfortable. Yet when asked about the moment, Brown made clear he wasn't viewing Wednesday as closure. "It's love. I won a Super Bowl ring with them. It will always be love no matter how anyone feels. I love Philly and I will always love Philly but I'm here now," he said. "That's where my feet are and that's what I'm focused on."
The Eagles begin their regular season on September 13 at home against Washington. The Patriots open four days earlier, traveling to face the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. For now, Brown and Hurts remain separated by geography and silence, though neither has closed the door entirely on what once was.
Citas Notables
None of that stuff even matters, man. You all should want to report something positive.— A.J. Brown, on questions about his relationship with Hurts
I've got a lot of love for him and always have.— Jalen Hurts, on A.J. Brown
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