After signing extension, A.J. Brown calls Philadelphia ‘home,’ says he ‘learned from’ sports radio call

Philadelphia, A.J. Brown said Tuesday afternoon, is “home,” and among the things the star Eagles receiver has learned in the two years since he arrived via a blockbuster draft-day trade is this town’s relationship with sports.

Shut down your social media accounts and show any signs of discontent on a sideline and get ready for the onslaught that follows. There will be trade rumors. There will be character questions. There will be poll questions produced by sports radio stations that thrive when there’s controversy asking whether the Eagles should trade you for a top cornerback.

But making the jump to calling those radio stations to shut down the speculation and defend yourself?

“At the time, I felt like that was right,” Brown said. “But looking back on it, it’s something I learned from. I’m learning to let people just have their opinions and just keep on pushing. I’m human.

“That’s something I can’t control. I can’t control when somebody talks about me or comes up with these things. It’s something that I learned from and I’m moving forward.”

More than two months after Brown dialed in as A.J. on the cell, the reality he spent time fiercely defending to 94.1 WIP played itself out. Brown was never going anywhere. The Eagles reportedly made him the highest-paid wide receiver in league history with a contract extension that runs through 2029 and is worth up to $96 million with $84 million guaranteed. Those upgrades the Eagles so badly needed in their defensive backfield came via bringing back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and using their first two draft picks on defensive backs.

Brown officially signed the deal Tuesday morning at the NovaCare Complex, and, in a video posted to the team’s social media accounts, he indicated once again that he wanted to retire as a member of the Eagles.

Asked later about that comment, Brown, 26, said: “That’s the goal. My career took off when I got here.

“This is the best town. … The support is just through the roof. Away games feel like home games.”

Brown has been one of the league’s best receivers since being traded to Philadelphia. He has 194 catches for 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons with the Eagles. Along with DeVonta Smith, whom the Eagles also signed to a contract extension in April, Brown is part of one of the league’s best receiving tandems, a duo the Eagles now have under contract through at least 2028.

Asked if he thought it was the best tandem in football, Brown didn’t bite.

“I think that’s a perception question,” he said. “You can view it however you want to view it.”

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The Eagles offense might still include Brown, Smith, and quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was in attendance at Brown’s news conference Tuesday, but it will have a different look in a lot of ways. Center Jason Kelce is gone, so each play literally will start with someone new touching the ball. But there’s also new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and new running back Saquon Barkley.

For the first time under coach Nick Sirianni, the Eagles will hold a mandatory minicamp in early June. There will be plenty of time between those practices and training camp for the Eagles offense — which was far less potent in 2023 than it was in 2022 — to get on the same page.

“I can say the sky’s the limit, but it comes down to working together,” Brown said. “That’s the only thing I’m going to get up here and say. We’re going to go to work each and every day. We’re going to push each other and let the chips fall where they may.”

As for what he’s working on, Brown said he keeps notes on his phone. He might notice something while watching film that he thinks he needs to improve. He declined to go into particulars but said: “I’m trying to gain that edge.

“When the time comes, you will see.”

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The results at this point speak for themselves. No receiver has ever been paid the way Brown is being paid.

The significance of that?

“Nothing,” he said. “I want to prove it. It’s a blessing. But we don’t play on paper, and nobody cares what’s in the bank account when you step in between those lines.”