The Squeaky Wheel

AJ Brown is a great wide receiver. He is also a first class drama queen. We know most good receivers are divas and can even be head cases so this isn’t totally surprising. It is frustrating because he’s an established star, well paid, coming off a Super Bowl win and on a team that could repeat as SB champs. There isn’t a lot to be upset about.

Brown is having a down year in terms of production. He’s 31-408-3. Poor Jalen Reagor would kill for those numbers at midseason. Brown has expressed his frustration on social media multiple times this year. He had another public complaint on Wednesday.

AJ Brown playing Madden with live streamer JankyRondo asked “Everything good?”
“No… It’s a sh*t show!”
He throws himself the ball and says “good things happen when you get touches… this the only highlights of football I’m damn living right now”
Video: https://t.co/Y4MZZM3A0d pic.twitter.com/nRfQsKtmr8

— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) November 12, 2025

Ugh.

It is absolutely fair for him to be frustrated. The Eagles passing game wasn’t good on Monday. It’s been erratic for much of the year. But taking complaints out in public just isn’t cool. The team is 7-2. It is winning. Does the passing game need to get better? Absolutely. At the same time, don’t get too frustrated after playing in the first cold game of the year against a Top 5 defense. GB also struggled to throw the ball. Neither offense was good.

Part of what makes Brown great is that he’s ultra-competitive. He wants the ball on every play. He wants to show what he can do. He wants to help the team win. That’s great, but you do have to fit that into a team paradigm.

It must drive him nuts to see Puka Nacua and Jaxson Smith-Njigba putting up insane numbers. Brown would love that. He would love to be in an offense that fed him the ball by design. He was in a run-heavy offense in Tennessee. He’s in a run-centric offense in Philly and has to share the ball with other stars. DeVonta Smith gets frustrated, but keeps his emotions under control.

I don’t know how Brown’s issues will affect this team. We saw TO destroy the locker room in 2005. Brown doesn’t have the same star power TO did. There are also other big stars on this roster. Very different dynamic. But Brown could have an affect on the players and coaches. Does that last play against GB happen if Brown is quiet? Was that Jalen and the coaches trying to get him a big play to keep him happy?

This issue will be addressed in the offseason. If Brown wants out, the Eagles will find a trade partner. For now, they need him to do his part, whether the ball is coming his way or not. Brown will sound level-headed at times, but then awkward a minute later. It is hard to really know where his head is.

AJ Brown says thank you very much for the ring, but this is a new season. He says defenses have adapted to the Eagles offense and they have to adapt and get better. AJ wants to contribute more and be a reason why the Eagles offense gets better pic.twitter.com/9D1ZU1YVHS

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 12, 2025

Asked about coverage shifting toward him and that freeing up other #Eagles receivers in comparison to other top receivers in the NFL, who still see high volume in targets and catches, Brown said:

“If you got eyes, you can see that. It’s not about what those other guys get. And…

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 13, 2025

Let’s hope the passing offense is able to pick up. It has looked good at times this year and we know the potential is there. The passing game got better in 2024 in the second half of the year.

Being frustrated is fine. Wanting to contribute more is fine. Bitching about is publicly is where things get weird. You then put pressure on your coaches and teammates. You bring extra tension to the locker room. Brown has got to be better. He’s a team leader.

Detroit plays a lot of man coverage so hopefully Sunday will be an opportunity for Hurts to get Brown the ball more. Both are at their best when going against man coverage. Things might always be sunny in Philadelphia, but they can get pretty weird with the Eagles. Never a dull moment.

_