A.J. Brown might not be on the Eagles roster anymore, but that hasn't stopped Philadelphia fans from obsessing over anything and everything he's said and/or doing since he was traded to the Patriots two months ago.
Surely, it's partially because they weren't as happy about seeing their former top receiver traded as they tried to let on, and they're not exactly thrilled that he is already hitting it off with Drake Maye, while Jalen Hurts has struggled at practice.
But they're also trying to hold onto any little thing that can make their frustrated feelings seem valid, including laughing at the young quarterback's latest comments about working with such a deep receiver room this summer.
Maye emphasized that keeping things positive comes from winning, which any quarterback, coach, or player would naturally say, but he also stated that his job isn't to "try to make everybody happy" and that it's actually to have the offense move up and down the field and score points."
That's what Eagles fans are now holding on to because of how things ended with Brown in Philadelphia, which many have suggested was due to his unhappiness with limited targets and game-day utilization.
Whether that's true or not is unclear, but the most diehard Eagles fans who believe it are starting a countdown to the moment Maye has a rude awakening with Brown this season.
Eagles fans can't help but send a loud message to Drake Maye about A.J. Brown
This is a point that was amplified by Inside the Iggles' Anthony Miller this week, who made sure to let Maye know that winning isn't necessarily all that his new favorite target cares about, based on his past with the Eagles.
"Quick history lesson for Maye: the Eagles won at least 11 games in each of the four years Brown was there. He was the most targeted receiver on the team with 521, made two Pro Bowls, was selected to three second-team All-Pro teams, went to two Super Bowls, and won one.
What was the end result of that? In 2024 during the Super Bowl run, there were reports that Brown was frustrated with a lack of targets. His relationship with Jalen Hurts took a massive hit because of it. Brown wasn't happy with it and requested a trade multiple times throughout last year."
It's certainly fair for Miller and other Eagles fans to send this kind of warning to Maye and the Patriots, given their experience with Brown in recent years.
But at the same time, New England heard very similar things about Stefon Diggs ahead of the 2025 season, since he had falling outs with the Vikings and the Bills, and he couldn't have been a better teammate or leader throughout the year. In fact, he proved everyone wrong, so there's plenty of reason to believe Brown can do the same.
Because he understands what kind of play caller Josh McDaniels is, it's fair to assume that Brown knows he changes things up based on their opponent, meaning he won't be fed the football every single week.
If he has already accepted that, there's no reason to worry that at some point down the line, he will have a fit on the sideline and create problems about it. Even if he hasn't adopted this mindset just yet, he hasn't shown any indication that he will be a problem, and we have no reason to believe he will.
Sure, there's a chance it could, just like with any other wide receiver, as they have a reputation for being divas. However, it's clear that Brown's issues with the Eagles went beyond what the eyes could see or what we were told, and that will be the difference-maker in Foxboro.
Regardless, Miller still sends a warning to Maye and believes his optimism will come crashing down sooner rather than later.
"If Maye thinks winning is going to make Brown happy, from the Eagles community: good luck, buddy. You're going to need it."
While Eagles fans are busy being negative about a player they claimed they wanted traded and couldn't be happier to be without, Patriots fans will be cheering on last season's AFC Champions and eagerly awaiting how good the connection between Brown and Maye will be this fall.
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