Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown recently declared that if the team fails to re-sign star quarterback Jalen Hurts, then he’ll want to follow him wherever he goes.
Brown made it clear on the Raw Room podcast that he sees himself and Hurts as a package deal and won’t want to continue on with the team if Hurts isn’t part of the picture going forward. In fact, his message was essentially a direct appeal to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.
“You do not pay this man, just ship me off wherever he’s going to go,” Brown said. “You talk about pressure, Howie, get it done.”
Given the level of success the Eagles enjoyed last season, it would be a real shock if they did not end up offering Hurts a big deal. The Eagles fell just short of winning the Super Bowl earlier this month.
Hurts played masterfully in the championship game, completing 71.1 percent of his passes for 304 yards and one score. He dominated on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, a costly fumble that led to a Kansas City Chiefs touchdown had a big impact in the game.
Still, there is no doubt that Hurts kept the Eagles alive in the Super Bowl, and he is clearly more than capable of leading a team to the promised land.
Brown is doing all he can to ensure that Hurts has many chances to lead the Eagles back to the title game in the future. In Brown’s first regular season playing with the Eagles, he finished with 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Hurts has one more season left on his rookie deal and will be paid a base salary of $4.3 million in the 2023 season. The Eagles may not want to risk things by waiting until after the 2023 campaign to offer him a new deal.
Indeed, a star quarterback hitting the open market is a rarity in the NFL, and the Eagles would be wise to seal things up this offseason. In fact, one NFL executive recently stated that the Eagles “can’t afford to let him get to next year” without a new deal.
Eagles fans will surely be waiting for new contract news this offseason, with Brown only adding to the already high stakes.
