Staff members of EaglesToday.com at SI have been in this Philadelphia Eagles locker room on a daily basis, for decades. ... and for the failed 2023 season as well.
The discord was real. The "miserable'' mood was real. The problems were real, and they contributed to the defending NFC champ's late-season tumble from the top.
But the suggestions, rumors and "reports'' that the way to fix the disconnect is to "disconnect'' from A.J. Brown - arguably the team's best player and a star in his prime - needs to be shot down.
And now it has, from our staff and also according to a report from NFL insider Benjamin Allbright, who has revealed what one team source has told him about the situation.
Said the source: “We’re not trading A.J. Brown. We haven’t looked into it, we haven’t discussed it. We are not trading him. You can print that.”
That's not a "bombshell trade.'' But it is a "bombshell truth.''
Brown, 26, is coming off a huge season for the Eagles in 2023 as he racked up 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns. He is, in short, not "the problem'' as much as he is "the solution to the problem.''
Now, to be fair to the rumor-mongers: Brown does the situation no favors by appearing to be rather casual about the whole concept.
"I don't know. Maybe they know something I don't know," Brown said on the Up And Adams Show recently. "I kinda been through this before. I'm a vet. I'll remain quiet. If something happens I'll be waiting by the phone and if not, I'll be right here."
Two years ago, Philly made its commitment to the player by trading the 18th and 101st overall picks to the Titans while giving him a four-year, $100 million contract with the Eagles that included $57 million guaranteed.
Brown's performance tells us what we need to know about his commitment ... even though Eagles fans might wish to parse his quote down to "I'll remain quiet.'' ... because that seems logically like what trade gossipers themselves ought to do.
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