Eagles stars stay locked in as A.J. Brown trade lingers

Eagles stars – With a possible A.J. Brown trade still hanging over Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are emphasizing control of what they can during the Eagles’ OTAs push—especially as the offense rebuilds after a disappointing 2025 season.

The quiet work at OTAs has a way of sharpening everything else—especially when it’s happening under the shadow of the one question everyone keeps asking: what if A.J. Brown gets moved?

On Wednesday, Jalen Hurts was asked for his take again. The timing mattered. Philadelphia is trying to turn the page from a season that didn’t just disappoint—it derailed. In the 2025 season. the Eagles flopped in their Super Bowl defense. spending much of the repeat effort in offensive disarray and ultimately losing in the Wild Card Round.

Hurts didn’t offer a distraction. He returned to the same place the Eagles say they need to be.

“For us, we’re focused on learning the offense,” Hurts said. “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.”

That word—“if”—is doing a lot of work. Brown has remained a constant headline because of how he’s been feeling. For much of his time with Philadelphia. he’s been publicly linked with being disgruntled about either his role in the operation or Philadelphia’s efficiency overall. Even his chemistry—or the lack of it—with Hurts has been a frequent topic of conversation for several years.

And because the Eagles didn’t deliver a championship, the volume stays turned up.

Barkley, too, has reason to protect focus. What he showed on the way to winning 2024 Offensive Player of the Year was different from what came next. During his inaugural Eagles season, Barkley ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry. Last season, the ground production fell hard: 1,140 rushing yards, seven TDs on the ground and a 4.1 yards-per-carry average. His rushing yards per game collapsed from 125.3 to 71.3.

The passing offense struggled in the same year. Under Hurts, it ranked 23rd in the league.

Even with those problems. Brown still produced in a way that keeps him central to any conversation about the Eagles’ next step. He had a team-leading 78 receptions and delivered his fourth 1,000-yard receiving season in four tries with the Eagles. But production doesn’t always calm the headlines—especially when postseason failure raises every unresolved tension.

Hurts made sure to address the personal side, too. Asked about what has been going on around Brown, he said nothing has shifted between them.

“Nothing’s changed since we last spoke at the end of the season,” Hurts said. “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.”

Still, good terms and shared history don’t fully answer the most pressing timing problem. Regardless of bonds and past success, everything sharpens on May 27, when the possibility of a trade is still looming and the Eagles are starting to gear up at OTAs.

Philadelphia’s message is built around getting back on track without letting hypotheticals steal reps. What has to happen now. they say. is mastering the install of offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s new system and getting young players—specifically first-round wide receiver Makai Lemon—up to speed.

The point isn’t that the trade conversation doesn’t matter. It’s that it can’t be allowed to define the work.

Hurts and Barkley are leaning into the same discipline: control what’s controllable, master what’s in front of them, and hope that steadiness eventually turns into control over the rest of the league as the season ahead begins.

Eagles Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley A.J. Brown trade OTAs Sean Mannion Makai Lemon 2025 season Wild Card Round