The Eagles’ offense put the fun in dysfunction all season long, somehow keeping their cohesion and winning games despite the occasional public outburst from star wide receiver A.J. Brown.
However, on Sunday during their Wild Card matchup against the 49ers, the offense looked plain dysfunctional.
Late in the second quarter, with the Eagles driving to extend their 13-10 lead, quarterback Jalen Hurts tried to connect with Brown on two deep passes, both of which Brown dropped. A visibly frustrated Brown then made his way to the sideline, where he encountered an equally frustrated head coach in the form of Nick Sirianni.
The two got in each other’s face in a tense exchange that required the Eagles’ chief of security to intervene.
Sirianni’s frustration, in addition to the drops, apparently stemmed from Brown’s delay in getting off the field after the second dropped pass.
Sirianni sought to downplay the incident in his halftime interview.
The Eagles eventually lost the lead and the game, 23-19. Whether Sirianni and Brown go back to “loving each other” remains to be seen. Brown’s public and annual complaints about his role in the Eagles’ offense have worn thin with quarterback Jalen Hurts and many in the Philadelphia fan base.
While cutting Brown could be expensive, there are trade scenarios in which Philly could deal him and save as much as $7 million.