AJ Brown explains his motivation after another stellar season originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
This is the time of year when we hear the same thing from many players: they are in the best shape of their lives.
But if you’ve seen any of AJ Brown’s workout videos this offseason, you probably believe him.
“I think so,” Brown said this spring when asked the question a week ago. “There are always things to improve. I’m always trying to get better at it. I like to say that I can easily play five plays, but being effective on those five plays is a hindrance for me.
The Eagles’ 26-year-old superstar receiver said he changed his offseason training plan a bit this year.
Brown declined to divulge the details, but explained his motivation.
“I always ask myself at the end of the season: can I work harder? What else can I do?” Brown said. “These are the questions I always ask myself and the answer is always yes.”
And the results have been impressive. Brown, who turns 27 later this month, appears to be in fantastic shape after back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in his two years since being traded to the Eagles. Brown said again this offseason he reached 23 mph during his training.
It’s pretty clear that Brown is a self-motivated player, but the way last season ended for the Eagles — a late-season collapse — served as another form of motivation this offseason.
“Not every loss is a loss. I don’t even like to say a loss is a loss,” Brown said. “It’s always a lesson. It’s always something to learn. I think you better learn something from this or it will come back. I will always have that mentality of work, work and do my best and attack every day moving forward. I can’t worry about the past, I can’t worry about yesterday. I’m here now and this is all I have. Today, practicing, is all that is given to me and that is what I have to do and give my all today.”
During rookie minicamp, coach Nick Sirianni praised Brown and forward Jordan Mailata for showing up around the rookies. Brown explained why he was at the NovaCare Complex on a Friday afternoon during his offseason.
“First of all, man, I love football,” Brown said. “I was looking forward to going back. I wanted to be close to the people, if I can help someone with something I will do that. Just trying to be a good leader.”
In his first season with the Eagles in 2022, Brown caught 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns and followed that up with a 106/1,456/7 season in 2023. Those are the two best receiving seasons in Eagles history. So he started very well.
Brown has been so good that this offseason he already signed a three-year, $96 million extension that won’t take effect until the 2027 season. But that $32 million APY puts him second in the NFL, and he got lots of money in your pocket faster.
Over the past two seasons, Brown is third in the NFL in receiving yards, behind only Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb. Here’s a look at the top five:
1. Mount Tyreek: 3,509
2. CeeDee Cordeiro: 3,108
3. AJ Brown: 2,952
4. Justin Jefferson: 2,883
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown: 2,676
Brown has had so much success in an offense that Sirianni admitted he became “obsolete” by the end of the 2023 season. While there may be some growing pains in 2024, the Eagles hired Kellen Moore to be their new offensive coordinator, a move they hope will renew the attack.
During minicamp, fellow starting receiver DeVonta Smith said this offense gives receivers more freedom and Brown agreed.
Overall, the Eagles’ top receiver seems to like the direction the offense is going.
“I’m all ears,” Brown said. “Honestly, there was nothing I wanted or was looking forward to seeing. I was excited to work with Kellen and learn from him and see what he thinks and how he calls the game.”
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