Eagles GM Explains Why AJ Brown Was Untouchable at the Trade Deadline
Every NFL team has one or two players who are considered untouchable aside from the quarterbacks. For example, the Cleveland Browns bent over backward to keep 2023 DPOY Myles Garrett
Brown hasn’t requested a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles; however, his body language, press conferences, cryptic tweets, and social media activities suggest he will gladly join another NFL team, not even twelve months after winning the Super Bowl.
When the Eagles traded for edge rusher Jalen Phillips from Miami, it was a clear indication that they were more than willing to do business ahead of the November 4 deadline. Then came a big surprise. AJ Brown remained part of the Eagles even after the trade deadline closed on Tuesday.
Jeff McLane of The Inquirer spoke with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman about Brown. Roseman confirmed that Brown was not available for a trade.
I think that when you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players. And A.J. Brown is a great player. He wears the ‘C’ for a reason. [Brown’s an] important part of [Eagles], of this organization. He cares about winning. He cares about his teammates. And I think that when you’re a team like ours that is looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don’t get rid of the guys like that. And so, feel very lucky to have him on our team and excited about the second half of the season with him
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Brown’s frustration dates back midway point of last year. As the WR1 for the team, he asked for more involvement in the offense.. His grievance remained the same in 2025. Cracks formed between him and quarterback
Nevertheless, Brown became a prime target for the 7-2 New England Patriots, a team he grew up supporting. Roseman waved his magic wand and kept hold of his prized asset.
AJ Brown is committed to playing his best football with the Eagles
The Eagles took down the New York Giants before heading into the bye week. After eight games, they lead the NFC East with a 6-2 record, miles ahead of the 3-5-1 Dallas Cowboys in second.
Brown missed the win over the Giants due to a hamstring injury, but should be fine to face the Green Bay Packers in week ten. Speaking with Josina Anderson, a league source claimed that Brown is hungry to win.
AJ Brown is not miserable. He’s hungry. He’s a player that cares about his team and his legacy. He wants to be among the greats. Every player should want that, & continue to strive for that. So of course he’s going to want to feast. That’s the energy that is a difference-maker. You don’t get rid of that
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In an interview with The Athletic‘s Brooks Kubena, Brown disclosed that he is indeed frustrated because he wants more of the ball during a game.
I know everybody’s counting on me, that’s my thrill. Everybody knows the ball’s coming to me. I love that feeling. It’s a rush. And that’s why it’s frustrating at times. And maybe people really misunderstand me as a player, but those feelings – that’s what I want. You may see a little frustration. It’s because I really want to contribute… if I’m not getting the ball, obviously, it’s not as fun
AJ Brown told Kubena.
In seven starts this year, AJ Brown has accumulated 29 receptions from 51 targets for 395 yards, 13.6 yards per catch, and 3 touchdowns.
Celtics’ biggest problem just created an all-time NBA disaster stat
Jaylen Brown only took two post-game questions after the Boston Celtics’ loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night. The first was regarding a no-call late in the fourth quarter. Keyonte George slipped, and it appeared as though Brown tripped over him, though no foul was given. Utah ran down the other end and Lauri Markkanen tipped in an alley-oop from rookie Walter Clayton Jr. to put Utah up by one point.
“It's a minute left in the game or less, and you completely—The whole staff blows the f****** call,” Brown said. “I mean, it cost us the game. Unacceptable.”
The other question? Boston’s offense.
The Celtics can't make shots...
For the sixth time in eight games, the Celtics shot below 45% from the field. The only times they have eclipsed that mark have been the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Opening Night and their 32-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Somehow, their three-point shooting has been even worse. They’ve shot up 35% just one time—their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics have yet to shoot 50% from the field in a game, and they haven’t sniffed 40% from deep.
Offense has been a chronic problem.
“We just got to play basketball,” Brown said. “I thought we got a lot of good looks. We just shot the ball poorly tonight. I think we were like 8-for-45 or something, nine for—We shot a lot of threes, but I feel like a lot of them were good looks.”
Celtics made NBA history vs. Jazz (in the worst way possible)
On Monday night, the Celtics shot 11-of-51 (21.6%) from beyond the arc. Of all instances when a team has taken at least 50 threes in a game, it was the single-worst shooting performance in NBA history.
Nothing was clicking. It was an ugly night lowlighted by a third-quarter performance that was a lot worse than the 26 points they mustered up.
Boston shot just 9-of-23 in the frame, including a 1-of-11 showing from deep, and their lack of success putting the ball in the basket directly led to the Jazz’s offensive finding a rhythm. After a 36-point first half, Utah dropped 38 in the third quarter alone, shooting a red-hot 13-of-18 from the field and 4-of-7 from distance.
“I thought our offense put pressure on our defense to where we just had too many empty possessions offensively, and they were able to score,” said Joe Mazzulla. “Whether it was and-ones, or offensive rebounds, or a little bit of, like I said, some of our defensive miscues oncorner threes. So, I think just getting so many empty possessions offensively just put too much pressure on our D, and we didn't hold the fort down.”
But what happened?
Utah’s ball pressure? Poor screening from the center room? Timely turnovers? All of those issues certainly reared their ugly heads in the third. Yet shot-making was still the primary diagnosis.
It has been all year.
“Mostly it was misses on relatively decent shots,” Mazzulla said.
Up to this point in the season, the Celtics have generated the ninth-most wide-open threes (closest defender six-plus feet away) per game in the NBA at 21.6. They’re shooting 37.1% on those looks, which ranks 19th.
Boston also ranks second in the NBA in open three-point attempts per game (closest defender four to six feet away) with 19.7.
They are shooting 29.7% on those shots. That’s 25th in the NBA.
“I feel like we're getting like, decent looks,” said Payton Pritchard.
