‘We’re not playing JuJu’: James Bradberry, Eagles look forward to their showdown with the Patriots

Despite all the offseason chirping that centered on former Kansas City Chiefs and current New England Patriots receiver JuJu Smith-Shuster, the Eagles — including cornerback James Bradberry — insist they’re solely focused on the larger task at hand.

“I look at it like we’re playing the New England Patriots, we’re not playing JuJu,” Bradberry said.

Smith-Schuster and Bradberry, of course, were the center of attention in a defining moment that occurred near the end of Super Bowl LVII. With less than two minutes remaining and the score tied, 34-34, Bradberry was flagged for holding Smith-Schuster, which allowed the Chiefs to run down the clock before they kicked a game-winning field goal.

A couple of weeks later, Smith-Schuster posted a Valentine’s Day meme that mocked Bradberry and said: “I’ll hold you when it matters most.” Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was quick to jump to the defense of his teammate, labeling the meme “lame,” while he also referred to Smith-Schuster as “Tik-Tok boy.”

The offseason controversy escalated a few weeks later, when Smith-Schuster published a parody video that mocked multiple Eagles, including Bradberry, Brown, and quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“That’s old and in the past,’” Brown said recently. “I don’t want to get into that — I don’t play defense, so I’m not worried about JuJu. I’m going out there to do my job. I’m going to get open, catch [the] football, and score touchdowns. That’s the only thing I’m worried about.”

After winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster signed a free-agent deal with the Patriots, who host the Eagles in the regular-season opener Sunday at Gillette Stadium. He’s expected to be defended by the team’s top cornerbacks: Slay, Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox.

“The Patriots have a strong offensive scheme, and they’ve got weapons, including JuJu himself, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, who I’ve played him in the past — he’s a really good route runner,” Bradberry said. “So they’ve got some pieces, and we’re not playing one single person.”

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“I have no choice but to see them, so I can’t really say if I want to not see them,” Smith-Schuster told reporters this week. “That was in the past. I would say at the time, it’s kind of, what I said is what I did. But that’s in the past. I’m here with a whole new team, a whole new system. Super excited just to go out there and play and compete against some of these guys.

“You talk about Slay. You talk about Bradberry. These guys played in the Super Bowl last year. There’s a reason why this defense is really good. It’s nice for us, our first game, to go out there and put ourselves against a challenge, a really good team.”

The Eagles visit the New England Patriots in the season opener. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Foxborough.