THE BROWN FILE
Conerly Trophy, 2017
Two-time, First-team All-SEC, 2017, 2018
PFWA All-Rookie Team, 2019
Signed a four-year, $100 million contract, 2022
By Lenn Robbins
If you could be any NFL player going into this season, who would it be?
You could do a lot worse than A.J. Brown. The Eagles wide receiver signed a four-year, $100 deal with $57 million guaranteed, so that’s a pretty good place to start. But Brown got more than a monster contract. He got reunited with his friend, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The two met on a recruiting trip to Alabama when both were in high school. Hurts signed with The Tide. Brown signed with Ole Miss. But the friendship stuck.
“I think when you run into good people, I think you just try to stay close to them,” Brown told reporters. “He was one person that I considered a really good friend who always looked out for me. And here we are.”
Yes, here is the Eagles new QB-WR tandem, one they hope turns out to be one of the best in the league and infuses Philadelphia’s pedestrian passing game. It also unites Brown with another former Crimson Tide star, Heisman Trophy winning WR DeVonta Smith.
Brown emerged as one of the NFL’s best receivers in his three seasons with the Titans. He posted 185 catches for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns. But the Titans weren’t willing to give Smith the contract he was looking for.
It all turned out for the best for Brown – and potentially – Hurts. Imagine how much closer they will become if they emerge as the league’s next best QB-WR duo?