Eagles Teammates Address Firestorm Created By Brandon Graham

The two Philadelphia Eagles addressed their relationship after teammate Brandon Graham indicated it was strained.

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown are good. Those were Hurts’ words during post-practice news conference on Wednesday.

As for Brandon Graham, whose poor choice of words on his player radio show earlier in the week seemed to indicate that the relationship between the quarterback and receiver was strained, Hurts minced no words.

“We’ve spoken,” he said. “I think in the end, BG knows he spoke out of place, and he knows that.”

Brown echoed that.

“BG is just being BG,” he said. “He’s emotional. In that case, he just misspoke. Me and Jalen are good. It’s BG. Everybody loves BG. He’s speaking from the heart. He’s just giving his perception on something, from outside.

“I tried to laugh it off at first. But it’s Philly. I’m not blaming it on the media or anything. It’s just Philly.”

Graham certainly didn’t do this 11-2 team any favors when he said what he said, as Jordan Mailata noted.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” said the left tackle. “I can't control what comes out of my teammates' mouth but in all truthfulness like I know the truth and there's nothing I can do. It's up to the court of public opinion after that and nothing that we can ever say can change that.”

Mailata said what he sees between his QB and receiver doesn’t exactly square with what Graham said.

“When they come to work, they come to work and they want to win a Super Bowl,” he said. “That’s the truth. So it's frustrating to see that a lot of people want to take this and spin it however they want, saying these two are the reason that the offense is bad."

A.J. Brown addressed his relationship with Jalen Hurts on Wednesday leading up to Week 15. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Brown was one of the first players in the locker room when it opened following practice, more than willing to talk about Graham sending everything sideways. The injured defensive end was reacting to what he believed Brown was alluding to after the Eagles beat the Panthers 22-16 and that was a passing game being held back by Hurts. Brown did not mean that at all.

"They perceived what I said about passing, and felt like it was an attack on Jalen," said Brown. "And I think that’s what (BG) did. Me and Jalen’s relationship is personal. Me and his relationship is good."

He added: “When I say ‘passing,’ that’s speaking on the entire offense, including myself. We’re not in it for feelings. We’re trying to hold up the Lombardi Trophy. That’s the end goal. Who cares if they want to spin it and perceive me as the bad guy? I’m throwing somebody under the bus? Who cares? It’s about what we’re trying to do at the end.”

So it’s back to business as usual. As guard Landon Dickerson said: “We’re all on the same page in here.”

Hurts and Brown, especially. The two had a solid friendship before Brown was traded to Philly during the 2022 NFL Draft. He is a godfather to one of Browns’ children. The QB admitted that the dynamic has changed a bit with the two of them teammates, but not in a bad way.

“Sometimes things change as dynamics change but for him, he knows I have a lot of love for him, just like I have a lot of love for all these guys,” he said. “Ultimately, he’s a guy that’s a competitor. He wants to win. He damn sure wants the ball and he wants to make an impact in the game. I respect that. That’s just like all of us.”

More NFL: Battle For Pennsylvania Fueled By Newcomers Russell Wilson and Saquon Barkley