Jalen Hurts Responds to A.J. Brown's Comments About Relationship After Eagles-Patriots Trade

Wideout A.J. Brown told NBC's Maria Taylor last week that he and Jalen Hurts were "not as close as we once were" before the star wideout was traded to the New England Patriots this offseason.

Hurts—who told reporters in late May the relationship between the pair hadn't changed and was "really good"—didn't offer much insight on Brown's comments when asked about them Wednesday.

"I'm not in the place to challenge anyone's perspective on anything, seemingly so it was," he told reporters (1:20:27 mark). "That's who I am. I've always been focused on the collective. I've always put my energy towards that. As a leader, I've always put an onus on giving maximum effort to achieve the shared mission we have on the team."

Rumors have suggested that Brown and Hurts indeed grew a bit apart, perhaps due to the quarterback's play on the field.

"A good bit of his angst stemmed from the play of Hurts, league sources said, in part because of Hurts' perceived reluctance to target Brown on tight-window throws against zone coverage," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Sarah Barshop, Mike Reiss, Daniel Oyefusi and Tim McManus.

"The Eagles didn't want a situation in which it felt like they weren't in it together, knowing they've been at their best when team chemistry is right," that report added. "Through conversations between Brown and management, it became apparent early in the offseason that Brown wanted out of Philly, believing it was best for the next stage of his career."

Hurts seemed more focused on remembering the positive moments between the pair—which included a pair of Super Bowl trips and a title—than elaborating on any change in the relationship.

"You come into it and you have a sense of pride with how it began, and definitely what we were able to accomplish," he told reporters. "... Nothing can take that away. For the great things that we did, now it's time to focus on achieving great things with this iteration of the team."