Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown using Super Bowl disappointment as fuel for next season

Moments before he entered the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex for the start of his session with local media Wednesday afternoon, Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was tucked away in a nearby room zoned in on a TV screen.

Seated next to Brown was fellow star wideout DeVonta Smith as the duo reviewed film from the workout session they had just completed together.

Following his record-breaking season that culminated in the team’s appearance in Super Bowl LVII, Brown admittedly dealt with an emotional hangover from the Eagles’ loss to the Chiefs in the championship game.

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Now that he’s back with his teammates for the offseason program, Brown is eager to take the steps that he hopes will lead him back to the sport’s biggest stage.

“Adversity happens, that was a big one — it was the Super Bowl,” Brown said. “But as athletes, we face adversity all the time. We have to deal with it. It’s just life. Of course, you want something so bad, but it’s just not your time.”

Brown said his mentality is to “get back to work.” He added that you “don’t quit because the next time might be your time. We’re not trying to look ahead. The season is far ahead.”

Brown enjoyed the best production of his four-year career during his first season with the Eagles. He earned second-team All-Pro honors after posting career highs in receptions (88) and receiving yards (1,496). In doing so, he broke Mike Quick’s 39-year-old franchise record for receiving yards in a single season.

Yet Brown still feels like there’s plenty of space for him to climb.

“There’s a lot I can improve on,” he said. “I want to be a complete receiver. I can always work on getting in better shape so I can have more opportunities. But I’m just trying to be a well-rounded receiver and do it all. I have goals of my own, and I’m definitely trying to achieve those. The sky is the limit.”

Brown also has been imparting his knowledge on others throughout minicamp. It has been a common scene for Brown to gather with tight end Dallas Goedert along with Smith and fellow receiver Greg Ward after group workouts. They have been focusing on the intricacies of route running.

“I want to improve everything,” Goedert said. “The route game, my releases, I try to spend more time with A.J. ... learning why the receivers are doing this on a release, what the defense is thinking, just different ways to get open. I feel like this is a profession [in which] you can never stop growing. I want to get more efficient at the top of my releases.”

Regarding the team’s collective disappointment over the Super Bowl, Brown remains eager to guide the Eagles back to that grand stage. The sense of familiarity around the room should also aid the group.

Aside from running back Miles Sanders and right guard Isaac Seumalo, the Birds retained all of their starting offensive players. The Eagles also lost offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to the Indianapolis Colts. However, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson was promoted to coordinator. Johnson is expected to call plays on game day, although the entire playbook is under head coach Nick Sirianni’s supervision.

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This all leads to the belief that Brown, who turns 26 in June, could be on a path to reach similar heights in his second year with the team. Even with increased expectations — the Eagles are widely viewed as favorites to win the NFC — Brown is helping set the table ahead of training camp later this summer.

“In terms of that [Super Bowl], you just can’t dwell on it,” Brown said. “That’s life. Not everything is going to go your way. At some point, you’ve got to get off the mat and get to work. That’s just where this team is at right now. We definitely have that chip on our shoulder.

“I expected the guy in front of me to play his best every game, no matter who it is. It’s a new season, we’re 0-0 like everybody else. We have to start over. Hopefully [opponents] give us their best, because we’re going to give them our best.”