Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is eligible to negotiate for a lucrative contract extension and is in a good position to get paid big money. After all, Hurts was a finalist for the AP MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards after putting up 4,461 yards of total offense and 35 total touchdowns, helping the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII.
Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown has made his thoughts on the matter known, hoping Hurts will stay in Philadelphia with Hurts for a long time.
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Brown was a guest on the “Raw Room” podcast hosted by former NFL players Daren Bates and Jalen Collins. When the subject of Hurts’ contract came up, Brown wasn’t shy about his friend, saying the Eagles needed to pay Hurts and keep him with the team for the foreseeable future.
“We have to pay bro,” Brown said with a laugh. “I love Philly, but he listens to what I’m about to say. If you don’t pay this man, ship me wherever he goes. If you’re talking about pressure, Howie, do it. But they will.”
Brown and Hurts developed on-field chemistry early, with Brown catching 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in the regular season, numbers that led to Brown being named to the AP All-Pro Second Team and NFC Pro Bowl team. Brown also spoke about his desire to continue playing with DeVonta Smith, who enters his third season in the league in 2023. Brown said he and Smith have become one of the best wide receiver pairings in the league, and Smith is only getting better, in the sense that it’s time for the Eagles to keep them all together and keep the window open to go back to the Super Bowl.
“I will definitely try to do everything in my power to play as long as possible with Jalen, him and DeVonta,” Brown said. “DeVonta and I are a great tandem, and I will continue to do so for as long as possible. It is standing and climbing to another level. At some point, he’s going to turn up, so we’re going to try to keep the team together and win while we’re together because they’re going to give Jalen the house, the building, the state, everything. They have to pay for it.”
Brown also provided some more insight into the emotional process of how the draft day deal that sent him to the Eagles played out, saying it started as a joke between him and Hurts, but would eventually lead to director General Howie Roseman to get involved and a trade on the way. successful.
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“We’re at my daughter’s party, and Jalen says I’m going to get Howie to trade for you, just goofing around and playing,” Brown said. “We don’t think (bleep) that’s going to happen, so I don’t even take it seriously … The day before the draft, Jalen went to Howie and said, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do it.’ I go to bed thinking it’s over. In the morning I get a call from Jalen. I don’t know how he slept through it or thought about it, but he called Jalen and started talking or something, and Jalen said, “Are you sure you want to come here for real?Howie is trying to talk a little bit about it for real.
Brown said an hour later, the Eagles called his agent and said the Eagles were making a serious push for him. Brown said he sounded different than the pursuits other teams, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets, had made to try to acquire him. By letting his agent continue to work the process, he felt the Titans were open to making the trade. Brown said he wasn’t happy, feeling upset that he was different than what the Titans had told him.
“It was fun because Jalen and I just started talking,” Brown said. “Jalen was talking to Howie. We were throwing numbers around, and I think Howie’s number was about $22 million. Jalen came back and told me. I told my agent and my agent told me to tell Jalen to tell Howie that it wasn’t enough.
Ultimately, Hurts left the negotiation process but did not pressure Brown, saying he wanted Brown to do what was best for his family. Brown said he initially wanted to stay in Tennessee for family reasons, but the Titans never budged and the deal with the Eagles went through.
“They were telling me they were never going to budge, even up until the draft,” Brown said. “Of course, we asked for an insane number because it’s the start of the negotiation and you should start at the top. My agent knew which number I would take. I was going to get $22 million to stay in Tennessee, and it had nothing to do with football. He had everything to do with my daughter.
Brown said he was happy in Philadelphia and it took him some time to mature and deal with the situation. Brown and the Eagles offense should be one of the best units returning next season as most of the skill pieces are all under 30 and have played together for at least one season.
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Chris Franklin can be reached at [email protected].
