The Philadelphia Eagles clearly had a culture change in their locker room a little more than halfway through the season.
The team became divided as a result, which ultimately led to their elimination in the first round of the playoffs.
Eagles recent changes
With the appointment of VIc Fangio as defensive coordinator and Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator, the Eagles have already made major changes on both sides of the ball.
It’s gotten to the point were there are legitimate trade rumors surrounding AJ Brown, who is arguably one of the top wide receivers in the NFL .
Brown has been named to the Pro Bowl twice in his two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He finished 2022 with 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns, and this season with 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl last season, where they were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs, thanks to the leadership of their top two wide receivers, Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Although AJ Brown had an equally successful season, the Eagles ended the regular season with five straight losses, placed second in the NFC East, and suffered their first-ever playoff setback.
The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and hired Vic Fangio as their new defensive coordinator at that same time, raising doubts about whether head coach Nick Sirianni would stay in his position following the collapse.
Both Smith and Brown joined the “Up and Adams” podcast on Wednesday — and while the Eagles wideout duo didn’t say much — the narrative may be more about what they didn’t say.
Adams directly asked the Eagles star wideout about the trade rumors. He never dismissed them completely, Instead gave short, ambiguous responses.
Brown noted that he wasn’t sure where the trade talk came from and remarked, “Maybe they know something I don’t.”
How it all started
Before the Eagles’ playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round, Brown appeared to delete all of his Instagram posts. This appeared to be the beginning of the trade rumours. Brown did not play in the game due to a knee injury, and the Eagles fell 32-9.
Brown
In response to a question about whether or not Brown was dissatisfied with his circumstances with the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown posted the following on Instagram:
“That had nothing to do with football. That’s me just trying to grow as a person. Just trying to block out any negativity that I can.”
AJ Brown noted that he’s “been through this before” in reference to trade rumors and added, “If something happens, I’ll be waiting by the phone.”