Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are treating the ongoing A.J. Brown trade talk as background noise while the Eagles begin their offseason work. Philadelphia has bigger immediate priorities, and the message from the team’s core players is clear: focus on the offense, not on hypotheticals.
That approach makes sense after a season that fell well short of expectations. The Eagles’ repeat bid unraveled in the Wild Card Round, Barkley’s production dropped sharply from his breakout debut in Philadelphia, and the passing game never found steady form under Hurts.
A season that changed the tone
Philadelphia entered the year with high expectations after winning the Super Bowl, but the offense did not hold up through the rematch effort. Barkley went from 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns at 5.8 yards per carry in his first Eagles season to 1,140 rushing yards, seven scores on the ground and a 4.1 yards-per-carry average the next season.
His workload and efficiency dipped as well, with rushing yards per game falling from 125.3 to 71.3. That decline mattered because Barkley had been one of the league’s most reliable difference-makers, and the Eagles depended on him more than ever when the offense stalled.
Brown’s situation keeps drawing attention
A.J. Brown still produced at a high level, finishing with a team-best 78 catches and a fourth 1,000-yard receiving season in four tries with Philadelphia. Even so, he spent much of the season in headlines tied to frustration over his role and the team’s overall offensive performance.
His connection with Hurts has been debated for several seasons, and those questions grew louder once the Eagles failed to defend their title. The uncertainty around Brown has not gone away, especially with a possible trade still hanging over the team as OTAs begin.
Hurts addressed that issue directly when asked about Brown, saying, “I think for us, we’re focused on learning the offense. It really doesn’t change in terms of our approach to improve. There’s an ‘if,’ obviously been a lingering thing, but nothing can replace all the greatness that we achieved together.”
Hurts says the relationship remains intact
Hurts also made it clear that his personal relationship with Brown has not changed. He said, “Nothing’s changed since we last spoke at the end of the season. We’re really good. I saw how beautiful the pictures came out at his wedding. I’m very happy for him and his wife and his family.”
That matters because outside speculation often grows when a team’s offense struggles and a star receiver’s role becomes a topic. Still, the quarterback’s public stance suggests that the Eagles are trying to separate relationship questions from the work in front of them.
The real priority is the new offense
For Philadelphia, the immediate task is not sorting out every future scenario involving Brown. The more pressing job is learning the offense under coordinator Sean Mannion and helping younger players, including first-round receiver Makai Lemon, get up to speed.
That is why Hurts and Barkley are both leaning into a “control the controllables” mindset. The Eagles want their offseason to be about installation, timing, and execution, not about what might happen if the trade talks eventually turn into something real.
Barkley and Hurts know the team cannot afford another year of offensive drift, and the early tone around OTAs reflects that urgency. With Brown’s future still unresolved, Philadelphia is trying to keep its attention on the details that can actually shape the season ahead.
Read more at: www.nfl.com
