Eagles WRs A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith Talk Trade Rumors, Jason Kelce & More
A.J. Brown wants to stay out of the fact vs. fiction game.
The Philadelphia Eagles receiver went on the Kay Adams “Up and Adams” YouTube show on Wednesday morning joined by teammate DeVonta Smith and was asked about the trade rumor being either floated out there by a team source or completely fabricated by the media.
“I don’t know,” he said “Maybe they (the media) know something I don’t. I’ve kind of been through this before. I’m a vet, so I’ll remain quiet. If something happens, I’ll be waiting by the phone. If not, I’ll be right here.”
Perhaps the genesis of the rumor had to do with Brown scrubbing his social media accounts of anything Eagles-related.
“That had nothing to do with football,” he said. “That’s me just trying to grow as a person, trying to block out any negativity that I can. As you see, this is one of the reasons why.”
Jason Kelce celebrates with receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown
USA Today
The trade speculation was one of the early questions Adams asked. She ended her roughly 12-minute interview with the two pass-catchers by asking again about the trade rumor.
After a long pause, Brown said, “I’m not really worried about it. If it is, I don’t know. I think you just have to be prepared. It’s a business at the end of the day and I’m just trying to handle it the best way I can.”
Smith chimed in, too.
“We’ve grown so close, I enjoy every second of playing together, so yeah, glad he’s here,” he said. “I hope that the media doesn’t try to break us up like they’re doing.”
Brown addressed the Pro Bowl, Smith talked about Nick Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and both addressed the possibility that Jason Kelce could officially retire at some point this offseason.
PRO BOWL: Brown said the decision not to play in this weekend’s game wasn’t due to a knee injury he suffered in the regular-season finale on the unforgiving turf of MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants.
“Nothing to be concerned about (when asked about the knee),” he said. “I’m all good. I just kind of decided not to go to the Pro Bowl. I don’t want to pretend like I want to be there when I don’t. Also, I wanted to try to get somebody else an opportunity. (Amon) St. Brown ended up going. I try to look at other guys who have never been to the Pro Bowl.”
NICK SIRIANNI AND KELLEN MOORE: Smith said that he hadn’t yet talked to Moore, the new offensive coordinator. It should be noted that the Eagles haven’t officially announced the hire, either.
Smith was asked if he felt the head coach lost the team during its 1-6 slide to end the year.
“Nah, I don’t think he lost the team,” he said. “I think we just had some things we had to adjust to and we didn’t do that well as a team. I don’t think he lost the team at all.”
Smith was asked about Moore and if he had one wish what would it be.
"Just let us do what we do," he responded.
Pressed by Adams about that means, Smith said, "Like anybody else would say, just give us the ball."
Neither player had a specific reason for why the late-season collapse happened.
“I think over a period of time things just started to unravel,” said Brown. “It was like a domino effect. We were trying to stop the bleeding, but I think we just kind of ran out of time.”
JASON KELCE: The center still seems to be mulling the decision to call it a career, even though he had told players after the loss in Tampa that he was going to retire.
Both receivers asked what it would mean to the team and locker room and the leadership that he would take with him.
Smith: “(He is) the captain, the person who really runs everything. Everybody in that locker room respects him, a guy who’s been doing it for a long time at a very high level, so everybody respects him. Everybody knows the importance of him being part of this team.”
Brown: “I think it would be a group effort (to replace the leadership). I don’t think just one person could take over. He’s done a tremendous job. He’s a great leader, a great person. I think we’ll miss the person, that’s the most important.”
