Let Him Go

I have written about the Eagles since 2003 in some form or another. From the EMB to various sites to Iggles Blitz. I went through the McNabb roller coaster. There was the TO nightmare. Then we had DeSean-gate. The rise and fall of Carson Wentz was a wild time. Now we have the AJ Brown saga.

I’m talking about AJ today because a few of you brought him up in response to my piece on the Eagles WR corps. With all due respect and friendship, it is time to move on. You have to let him go.

AJ Brown is a few weeks away from officially being an ex-Eagle. I hate it, but this isn’t my choice. This isn’t Howie Roseman or Nick Sirianni’s choice. This is what AJ wants. Some of you will come at me disputing that. I’m tired of those arguments. Save them for someone else, please. Jimmy Bama seems like an engaging fellow, try him. The Eagles only trade two types of guys, players that are disposable and those who want out (Wentz, Reddick, Huff, etc.) Which category do you think AJ fits into? Hint…he’s sure as heck not disposable.

One of my happiest moments as an Eagles fan was in April of 2022 when the shocking news came through that AJ was being traded to Philly. He was one of my favorite NFL players and then suddenly he was an Eagle. The team had great success with him, going to a pair of Super Bowls and winning one. But that didn’t satisfy AJ. He wants to be The Guy. He wants to have the ball fed to him and put up crazy numbers. That’s his choice.

Unfortunately that has no chance of happening in Philly. Saquon Barkley has been the key to the offense since his arrival. He’s a future Hall of Fame player. You have to get him a lot of touches. DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are key pieces of the passing game. The Eagles aren’t a volume passing team and Jalen Hurts isn’t an elite passer. AJ caught 106 passes in 2023, but that was pre-Saquon. If he prefers numbers to winning, that’s his right. I hate it, but we each have something that drives us and he wants touches. He wants to be up there with JSN, Puka and Ja’Marr.

AJ will be happy when he and Mike Vrabel are sharing a bowl of clam chowder and talking about how the offense will be built around him. If 32-year old Stefon Diggs can catch 85 passes in that offense, AJ can light it up. I wish him well. I hope he posts gaudy numbers and is happy as a clam. I also hope he never sniffs another Super Bowl. That’s more about the Pats than AJ.

When I write about the Eagles receivers, you no longer need to mention AJ. He’s gone by his choice. The Eagles would love to have him, but that option simply isn’t on the table. AJ might as well be Fred Barnett, Irving Fryar or Tommy McDonald. He’s part of Eagles history now. There isn’t a need to let me know the Eagles are less talented without him. That’s not our choice. It is his. The AJ era was fun while it lasted.

Move on.

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To be clear, I’m not some all-knowing wizard that is right about everything. I’ve been wrong about stuff plenty of times over the years and some of that will continue. Nobody bats 1.000. I appreciate when you guys give tough feedback and challenge my takes. I love a good conversation. That’s how you get smarter. If you dig in your heels and close your ears, you’re just going to live with your own opinions. I learned how to go back and forth in my EMB days. That crowd could be brutal. You learned to do your research and to be ready for some good counter-arguments.

Eagles fans are the best.

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Jeremy  Fowler from ESPN had another nugget on Jalen Hurts today.

This is a crucial year for the Eagles’ offense under Hurts, after their passing attack ranked in the bottom third of the league in back-to-back seasons.

The offense will feature more play-action and under-center work, which Hurts has hesitated to embrace at times in the past but has appeared very open to this offseason, according to sources. “As open as he’s ever been,” a source said.

Hurts has been throwing off site with multiple Eagles receivers, including his new No. 1, Devonta Smith — assuming A.J. Brown is traded as expected — and veteran Elijah Moore. Some NFL personnel evaluators still consider him a top-12 quarterback in the league. All of that won’t dim the spotlight placed on him this season — and the spotlight on the team’s next move if he struggles again.

Fowler goes on to talk about how the Eagles could move on from Hurts or extend him, depending on how this season goes. I do agree that Hurts future has some uncertainty, but I also know good QBs are hard to find. The Eagles won’t move on from him unless things go really poorly. They like Tanner McKee, but I don’t know if they think he’s ready to be the guy. And Cole Payton is a complete unknown. The last thing you want to do is be in the QB wilderness. The Steelers have been stuck in that purgatory since Big Ben left. That’s not something you want to experience.

It is great to hear Hurts is working out with his guys. There are limited reps between now and Training Camp. Do everything possible you can to build or improve chemistry. This is a huge year for Hurts and he seems driven to show what he can do. I’m cautiously optimistic. The most dangerous version of Jalen Hurts is the one with a chip on his shoulder.

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The official schedule release is tonight. There are leaks all over social media. I’m not going to post them here. I want to wait and discuss the whole thing when we have all the details.

There is a game in the UK so I’m stoked for all our British Eagles fans. They have to be on cloud nine.

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