A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts formed a brotherhood in Philadelphia.But 18 months after Brown and Hurts helped guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl blowout victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown is finally back on speaking terms with the godfather of his daughter. Things haven’t been the same between Jalen Hurts and A.J. BrownGettyBrown and Hurts smiled and shook hands on Thursday during a brief reunion, before heading separate directions. That was a marked change after Brown’s previous comments.“No,” said Brown, when asked earlier this week if he had spoken with Hurts since a June trade to the New England Patriots.Head coach Nick Sirianni can be polarizing to Eagles fans, despite Sirianni holding a 59-26 record and appearing in two Super Bowls since 2021. Hurts is one of the most picked apart quarterbacks in the NFL, despite the MVP of Super Bowl LIX and three-time Pro Bowler holding a 94.4 career passer rating.But it’s the still unexplained fallout between Brown and Hurts — which will receive another turn in the spotlight as the Patriots host the Eagles on Saturday — that best captures how temporary and unpredictable professional football can be in Philadelphia.Brown and Hurts were once so close that the Eagles QB became a godfather to his No. 1 wide receiver’s daughter.Then, Brown had to get out of Philly and leave Hurts behind.“Not as close as we once were,” Brown said in an interview with Maria Taylor on 7 PM in Brooklyn. “I believe that’s fine. There’s no bad blood. There’s actually still a lot of love. I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he wants to accomplish.“I didn’t truly understand why our friendship became the center of everyone’s attention when it comes to football. Because looking back on it, we haven’t been as close as we were for a couple years now. But that didn’t stop anything. We still competed, we still pushed each other, we still led the team. It was just kind of strange. People got so fixated on our relationship.”Brown and Hurts spoke for the first time since a blockbuster Patriots-Eagles tradegettyBrown is a Super Bowl champion who grew tired of his role in PhillyGettyNFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.That’s because Brown initially forced his way to the Eagles via an April 2022 blockbuster trade, which saw Philly send two draft picks to the Tennessee Titans — who were then coached by Mike Vrabel.“We’re really excited to have (Brown) on this team,” Sirianni said at the time. “He’s a strong man. He’s quick for a big guy and he catches everything. There is no projection. You’ve seen him do it in the NFL for three years now.”Brown, 29, has $91 million in career earnings and will earn $29m from the Patriots this year. Drafted with the No. 51 overall pick in 2019 out of Ole Miss, the 6ft 1in and 226lb wide receiver has 524 career catches for 8,029 yards and 56 touchdowns.Yet Brown is now on his third team in eight seasons, and he’s coming off a 2025 campaign in which he barely reached the 1,000-yard mark, while posting a career low in yards per catch (12.9).From reading a book on the sideline during an NFL game to constantly taking veiled shots at Hurts and the Eagles’ offense, Brown challenged Philly to be better but also undercut the team’s chemistry.His once-close relationship with Hurts also appeared to take a major hit last season.Nick Sirianni will try to open up the Eagles’ passing game without Brown this seasonGettyMike Vrabel is coaching Brown for a second time in the NFLGettyView Tweet: https://t.co/mqqRkwwZPiBrown didn’t deny that he drifted apart from Hurts, yet declined to go into specifics.“Nothing happened. Nothing happened,” Brown said. “People just grow apart. Nothing happened between me and him or our families, our wives, anything. Nothing like that ever happened. But life happens and you just look up sometimes and you find yourself drifting away. And that’s fine. And I think both parties accepted that.”Vrabel now receives a second go with Brown, while third-year quarterback Drake Maye has a new No. 1 receiver as the Patriots attempt to return to the Super Bowl.But Brown is no longer viewed as a top 10 wideout in the NFL and his overall commitment to football has been questioned in recent seasons.For the Eagles and Patriots, Saturday’s preseason game at Gillette Stadium is just another exhibition build up toward 2026 campaigns directed toward Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles.Yet when Brown represents New England and Hurts still stands for Philadelphia, NFL fans across the globe will be reminded how far apart the Eagles’ old brotherhood has drifted.