Traded wideout A.J. Brown had ‘a lot of good years here,’ says Eagles coach Nick Sirianni
Speaking for the first time since Brown was traded to the Patriots last week, Sirianni reminisced about the fond times he had with the superstar receiver, while praising the current receiver room.
Nick Sirianni offered his final words on the A.J. Brown saga on Tuesday.
Speaking for the first time since Brown was traded to the New England Patriots last week, Sirianni reminisced about the fond times he had with the superstar wide receiver, before offering some glowing words about his current wideouts.
“I would say there was a lot of good years here, and done a lot of good things with A.J. here,” Sirianni said before Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice. “Two times in the Super Bowl, I think he was [an] All-Pro multiple times, Pro Bowl multiple times. So I would say it was a good run.
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“But, [I am] really excited about that room that we have. DeVonta Smith has had a really good offseason, has had five good years of being an Eagle as well. Very, very productive. And excited that he’s going to get extra opportunities that he works so hard to get. … Really excited about Makai [Lemon] and where he is this offseason and just his ability to catch the football, his toughness. I think that’s a great addition to that room.”
Sirianni highlighted the unit’s depth — which general manager Howie Roseman spent the offseason improving, knowing that Brown likely would be dealt — and gave shout-outs to Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, Darius Cooper, and Johnny Wilson.
Sirianni also was asked if he ever had trouble managing the once-close relationship between Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts, which frayed throughout their time together in Philadelphia.
“No,” Sirianni said. “Relationships are so, so important. But that doesn’t mean everybody — sometimes that can get misconstrued that everybody has to be best friends. That’s not the case.”
What influence, if any, did Sirianni have on the deal, which brought a 2028 first-round pick and the better of New England’s two fifth-round picks in 2027 to the Eagles? The sixth-year head coach mostly deflected the question.
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“What a good teammate that I have with Howie Roseman to be able to go to battle with,” Sirianni said. “So many things that [Brown] did that [were] good for our football team, and always will wish him the best of luck. But like I said, really excited about the guys in that room and where we are. But this is a team game, to your question, and every decision that I make and decisions that Howie makes, we talk to each other about it.”
A.J. Brown is officially an Eagle no more! We knew the move was coming for weeks, if not months, but that doesn't make the departure of the Pro Bowl wide receiver and Super Bowl champion any less jarring. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane and David Murphy react to general manager Howie Roseman's trade with the New England Patriots. Listen here.
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