Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown caused a stir by changing his Instagram profile picture to Tom Brady amid speculation of a potential trade to the New England Patriots, though claimed he was just showing admiration.
"TB12 is my favorite player ever," Brown wrote in a since-deleted post on his X account. "I watch(ed) The Dynasty [on Netflix] and it brought back some memories from my childhood. "Go look up what he did in 2015 when he was doubted/ disrespected. Yeah I see the disrespect. Motivated … yes. That’s it. I Did not think changing my pfp to the greatest QB ever would cause controversy."
The timing, however, is worth noting as Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reports that the Patriots, who are in need of a wide receiver, were among the teams that reached out to the Eagles about a potential trade for Brown after the social media incident.
Breer, however, clarified that the Eagles "have shut [the inquiries] all down and told other teams that he is not available."
The trade speculation also comes after the Eagles gave fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith a three-year, $75 million ($51 million guaranteed) extension. Philadelphia acquired Brown in a Draft-Day sign-and-trade with the Tennessee Titans in 2022 and was selected as a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler during each of the past two seasons.
Last October, a video of Brown from a 2020 Bussin' With The Boys interview resurfaced in which he claimed to have cried that the Patriots passed on him to instead draft fellow wide receiver N'Keal Harry in the 2019 NFL Draft.
"I left everybody at the house and went home," Brown said. "I went in the closet and cried my eyes out."
Brown recorded a career-best 106 receptions for 1,457 yards and seven touchdowns for the Eagles in 2023.