Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on A.J. Brown trade: "It was a good run"
The Philadelphia Eagles are ready to move on from the A.J. Brown trade.
For the first time since the deal went through, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to the media about the highly anticipated trade to the New England Patriots and said Brown had a "good run" in Philadelphia.
"I would say there's a lot of good years here," Sirianni said Tuesday on Day 1 of the team's mandatory mini camp. "Done a lot of good things with A.J. here. Two times in the Super Bowl, I think he was an All-Pro multiple times, Pro Bowl multiple times, so I would say it was a good run."
In the past, Sirianni called Brown one of the best players and leaders he's been around.
Brown recorded the best numbers of his career in Philadelphia, posting back-to-back 1,400-plus yard seasons in his first two years with the Eagles. He set multiple franchise receiving records over his four seasons in Philadelphia, but ultimately, Brown's frustrations over the offense in recent years led to him being dealt to the Patriots.
While Brown's production will be tough to replace, Sirianni said he's excited for the team's new wide receiver room.
DeVonta Smith will have a much larger role as the No. 1 receiver in Sean Mannion's offense, and the team made several moves over the offseason to plan for Brown's eventual departure.
The Birds drafted Makai Lemon in the first round, traded for Dontayvion Wicks and signed veterans Marquise Brown and Elijah Moore. Plus, Johnny Wilson and Darius Cooper return to fill out the bottom of the depth chart.
"Howie [Roseman] and I discuss everything," Sirianni said. "As you know, we talk through everything. So many things that [Brown] did that was good for our football team, and will wish him the best of luck."
Throughout the Brown saga, his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts was put into the spotlight after a season filled with cryptic social media posts.
In an interview with NBC's Maria Taylor after the trade, Brown said there was "no bad blood" between him and Hurts, who were once close friends. The two had grown apart over the years.
Hurts also said before the trade that he and Brown were in a "really good" place.
When asked if Hurts and Brown's relationship was ever a problem managing the team last season, Sirianni said no but acknowledged that not everyone needs to be best friends.
"I think it can look a lot of different ways, but it is so important that we all understand that we have a shared mission and that we need each other to get to where we want to go," Sirianni said. "We need each other. Not in this sport can we do it alone. If you want to do it alone, you've got to pick another sport."
