Winning a Super Bowl usually fixes everything. In February 2025, when Jalen Hurts was named Super Bowl LIX MVP and lifted the Lombardi Trophy with AJ Brown by his side, the "alpha male" friction that defined their 2024 season seemed like ancient history. They were the league's gold standard. They were brothers.
Then 2025 actually happened.
If you’ve been following the Philadelphia Eagles over the last few months, you know the vibe has shifted. It’s gone from "best friends winning rings" to "sideline screaming matches and cryptic social media deletions." The 2025 season was supposed to be a victory lap, but instead, it felt like a slow-motion car crash that culminated in a messy Wild Card exit against the San Francisco 49ers just days ago.
The Relationship Reality Check
Honestly, the whole "best friends" narrative was always a bit of a double-edged sword. Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown have been tight since Hurts tried to recruit him to Alabama nearly a decade ago. Hurts is the godfather to Brown’s daughter. That’s real-life bond stuff. But as AJ Brown himself admitted on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast back in February 2025, being "two alphas" means they bump heads.
They don't just bump heads; they ignite.
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During the 2025 regular season, the cracks became impossible to ignore. There was a stretch in November where AJ Brown’s involvement in the offense basically cratered. We’re talking about a guy who, in 2023, had six straight games with 125+ receiving yards. In late 2025, he was going entire halves with maybe one or two targets.
You saw it on the sidelines. Reporters like Jimmy Kempski noted they weren't even communicating in the bench area. While Jalen Hurts kept his "keep the main thing the main thing" stoicism, AJ was visible, vocal, and clearly frustrated.
Breaking Down the 2025 Friction
It wasn't just "diva receiver" antics. It was a fundamental breakdown of the Eagles' offensive identity.
- Week 5 vs. Broncos: Hurts didn't target Brown a single time in the fourth quarter of a tight loss.
- The Giants Meeting: After a Week 6 loss, reports surfaced of a "leaders only" meeting between Hurts, Brown, and Saquon Barkley. When asked about it, Brown famously played dumb, telling reporters he didn't "recall" any meeting, even after Hurts had already confirmed it.
- The Twitch Outburst: Brown took to Twitch in November to vent about his lack of involvement, which Dianna Russini later reported caused significant locker room tension.
The friction is football-related, but it’s personal because of the history. When your best friend—the guy you campaigned for the team to trade for—isn't looking your way when you’re open, it hurts differently.
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The $100 Million Financial Trap
Here is where things get complicated for Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office. If this were a normal relationship gone sour, you’d just trade the player and move on. But AJ Brown’s contract is a monster.
As we sit here in January 2026, looking at the wreckage of the playoff loss to the Niners, the numbers are terrifying. If the Eagles trade AJ Brown before June 1, 2026, they take a $43.5 million dead cap hit. That would be the fourth-largest single-season dead cap hit in NFL history. Basically, they would pay $20 million more to NOT have him on the team than to keep him.
A post-June 1 trade is the only realistic path, saving about $7 million in cap space, but even then, you're eating $16.3 million in dead money and you don't get any 2026 draft picks back to help Jalen immediately.
Why the Connection Stalled
What most people get wrong is blaming just one person. Jalen Hurts evolved into a Super Bowl MVP by playing "point guard" football—distributing to Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith. But AJ Brown is a "force multiplier." He needs the ball to stay engaged.
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In the 2025 season, the Eagles' offense became predictable. They stopped attacking the middle of the field. Teams started bracket-covering AJ, and Jalen, perhaps trying to be too "correct" with his reads, stopped forcing the "50/50" balls that made them the most dangerous duo in the league in 2022 and 2023.
When you see them screaming at each other or Nick Sirianni on the sideline, like they did during the 49ers playoff game, you’re seeing the death of a specific type of chemistry. It’s the frustration of knowing how good they can be and seeing it fall apart.
What Happens Next
The Eagles are at a crossroads. You have a franchise QB locked in through 2028 and a superstar WR who just hugged his teammates and sprinted out of the locker room without talking to the media after the playoff exit.
If you're looking for what to watch for in the coming weeks, keep an eye on these specific moves:
- The Coaching Staff Shuffle: If Nick Sirianni stays, does he bring in a "pure" passing game coordinator who can bridge the gap between Jalen's progressions and AJ's route tree?
- The June 1st Date: Don't expect a trade in March. If AJ is moved, it will be a summer blockbuster.
- Social Media Activity: It sounds petty, but with AJ Brown, the Instagram wipes and unfollows are usually the first signal of a formal trade request.
The reality is that "alpha" relationships in the NFL are rarely stable. They are high-performance engines that require constant tuning. Right now, the Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown engine is smoking on the side of the road. Whether they can fix it or if it’s time for a total rebuild of the receiving corps is the only question that matters in Philly right now.
Actionable Insights for Eagles Fans:
Stop checking for trade news until after the draft; the cap numbers make a move nearly impossible before June. Instead, watch for whether Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown are spotted working out together in the off-season. In the past, those private sessions in Florida were where they ironed out their issues. If those workouts don't happen this spring, the era of the "best friend" duo is officially over.