The Eagles inked star wideout A.J. Brown to a four-year deal last offseason to keep him in Philadelphia long-term.
But Brown only wants to stay in the City of Brotherly Love as long as quarterback Jalen Hurts is there.
Hurts enters the 2023 season on the final year of his modest rookie contract and the 24-year-old has a very large payday in his sights. Brown believes the Eagles should pony up the money to retain their franchise quarterback, and if they don’t, Brown will want to get out of Philadelphia alongside Hurts.
“(If) you do not pay (Jalen Hurts) just ship me off wherever he finna go,” Brown said on the “Raw Room” podcast as transcribed by ESPN.
Hurts is scheduled to make $4.3 million this upcoming season, according to Spotrac. But after throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns while also running for 760 yards and an additional 13 scores in the regular season to finish runner-up in MVP voting, Hurts will probably look for a deal in the ballpark of $45 million, which is in line with the top signal-callers in the league. There have already been rumors of the Eagles expressing interest in getting a contract extension done.
Brown certainly benefited from being in the Eagles’ offense that featured not only Hurts, but 2021 No. 10 overall pick DeVonta Smith. Brown posted career-highs with 88 receptions and 1,496 yards receiving while matching his career-best with 11 touchdown grabs.
“I’m definitely gonna try to do everything in my power to stay with Jalen as long as I can — him and DeVonta,” Brown said on the podcast, as transcribed by Bridget Reilly of the New York Post. “Me and DeVonta — we a good tandem. I’m definitely going to try to keep that going as long as I can. He is up and rising bro, on another level. At some point, he gonna be up. Definitely going to try to keep the team together, man, and try to win while we together.”
With Brown saying his piece, it will now be up to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to either get a lucrative deal done with Hurts or face a massive conundrum.
