It finally happened. The Philadelphia Eagles finally traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday. After months on months of trade speculation and knowing this deal was inevitable, the Eagles finally traded away their star receiver as soon as the dead cap would be cut in half on June 1.
A plethora of things compounded brown's trade request, but most importantly, a deteriorating relationship with Jalen Hurts. So not only did Dallas Cowboys fans get to watch Hurts have the worst season of his career, but they had their popcorn ready as his favorite target forced his way out of Philly. The relief is palpable throughout the fan base.
Hurts may be a Super Bowl MVP and a multi-time Pro Bowler, but anyone who follows the NFL (or the Cowboys) should know the 27-year-old isn't as talented as his accolades would lead you to believe. He's surrounded by superstar talent with the Eagles and is a product of his weapons and the system.
Jalen Hurts is going to miss A.J. Brown, and that's great news for the Dallas Cowboys
After his rollercoaster 2025 season, people have finally started to see Hurts for what Cowboys fans already know he is: nothing special. And that trend can very well continue, as Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr's 100 bold predictions for 2026 had a hot take for Hurts: he expects him to finish last among the four NFC East starting quarterbacks in touchdown passes, which would be hilarious.
"New season, new offensive coordinator and no A.J. Brown," Orr wrote. "That means new challenges for Jalen Hurts, in addition to the old ones which never seem to have left him behind. I don’t think the Eagles will move on from Hurts after this season, but the team continues to add meaningful depth behind the Super Bowl champion. "
Orr mentioned the Brown trade and the change in offensive coordinator from Kevin Patullo to first-time play-caller Sean Mannion as things working against Hurts in 2026. And considering he's not necessarily the most dangerous passer in the first place, another step backwards is in the cards.
Assuming he stays healthy, Dak Prescott should clear the Oklahoma man in TD passes with relative ease, and the same could be said with Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart. Both Daniels and Dart have bright futures, and both of their situations have improved tremendously, while Hurts' has gotten worse.
As soon as he was traded, Brown was playing narrative warfare against his old team because he knew who the problem was. The NFC East has a strong crop of starting QBs, but there's nothing that would be more cathartic in Dallas than seeing Jalen Hurts' struggles continue without A.J. Brown.
Add us as a preferred source on Google