After Key Meeting with Jeffrey Lurie, A.J. Brown Sends Clear Message on His Role in Eagles’ Offense
AJ Brown had seven catches Sunday.
It’s no secret A.J. Brown is frustrated with his role, despite the Philadelphia Eagles‘ stellar start to the season.
Yet, when asked about his conversation with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Brown decided not to air his grievances Sunday night after their fifth straight win, 16-9, over the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field.
Brown had seven catches for 49 yards Sunday night and earned a key defensive pass-interference penalty in the fourth quarter that sealed the Eagles win.
Still, despite his season-high volume of targets (11), Brown was held to fewer than 50 yards for the sixth game of the season. His 50.8 receiving-yards-per-game average is by far the lowest of his seven-season NFL career — his previous worst was 65.8 in his rookie year with the Tennessee Titans.
The Eagles (8-2) will take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
A.J. Brown Wants To Have An Impact On The Eagles Offense
Brown credited the Philadelphia defense for carrying it for the second straight week. The Eagles have allowed just 16 points in their past two games since Brandon Graham and Jaelan Phillips entered the lineup.
But Brown is still frustrated with the offense’s inability to put up points. Since their Week 9 bye, the Eagles have scored just 26 points, put up only 307 passing yards and 566 total yards of offense.
“We still got to do a better job on offense and get our stuff going,” Brown said. “It’s a lot of room for improvement.
“It’s some things that we aren’t doing.”
Ultimately, the Eagles offense has made enough plays to win each of their past two games and are tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the best record in the NFC. Plus, Philadelphia beat LA 33-26 on Sept. 21, meaning it has the tiebreaker and holds the No. 1 seed with seven games left.
So Brown is “optimistic” about the Eagles’ outlook, even if he knows their offense needs to do better.
“There’s things that we can always look at and get better at,” Brown said. “There are some things we can be happy about, but we’re in the business of trying to get better. It’s not that we’re just moping around … but we’re going to try to go back to work and fix the things that we need to get better at.”
A.J. Brown Is Keeping Details Of His Meeting With Jeffrey Lurie To Himself
Brown’s comments about the offense’s improvements are a veiled shot at his lack of involvement in it. According to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, Lurie needed to intervene at practice Thursday to set Brown straight about his complaining on social media, specifically Instagram.
“During the 10-minute meeting, Brown promised Lurie that he would stop complaining on social media, according to the team official,” ESPN reported Sunday. “But Brown also told Lurie that he just wants to be a part of the offense and is frustrated, the official said.
“Lurie told Brown that he didn’t need to apologize, the pair concluded the meeting with a hug, and the wide receiver returned to practice, according to the team official.”
When asked about the meeting, Brown decided to keep the details private.
“I’m gonna keep that between me and him,” Brown said.
Red Sox Increasingly Tabbed in Trade for Tarik Skubal
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 14: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers throws a pitch while playing the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park on May 14, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Even in light of the Red Sox blockbuster trade for Garrett Crochet last offseason, and in light of the stunning midseason deal to dump Rafael Devers, on the whole, the front office has been measured in its approach in the short time that Craig Breslow has been in charge. There’s been a clear focus on developing and implementing positional prospects, as well as a focus on adding a heap of pitching to the farm system.
But the acquisition of Alex Bregman, for example, was always going to be a team-friendly one-year deal, as long as Bregman stayed upright for most of the season. The Red Sox did not invest heavily there, and other than Crochet (plus some team-friendly early extensions), caution has been the overriding theme for this team.
The promise of this team as it is now built, though, opens the possibility for that to change. The Red Sox won 89 games and earned a spot in the playoffs in 2025, and perhaps some boldness is called for in 2026, even if it is risky and costs prospects.
Tarik Skubal Trade Makes Sense Ahead of Free Agency
There is no bolder or more risky move dangling out there for the right organization this winter than a blockbuster trade for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner who is coming off a 13-6 season in which he led the league in ERA (2.21) and WAR (6.5), while also posting a WHIP of 0.891, also a league best.
But you know the story on Skubal: The Tigers can’t pay him the kind of stunning long-term salary it would take to keep him in Detroit, and with Scott Boras as his agent, Skubal is all but certain to hit free agency when he is eligible next year. The Tigers are reportedly not shopping Skubal, but they’re listening to offers.
And the Red Sox are among the teams tabbed as one who should be making an offer.
Red Sox Have Interest in Tarik Skubal Trade
The Athletic listed the Red Sox as a team with interest in trading for Skubal in a power pairing with Crochet. At CBS Sports, the Red Sox are listed as the No. 4 suitor for Skubal, behind the Dodgers, Mets and Mariners.
But would Breslow give up prized Red Sox prospects for what would likely be a one-year Skubal rental, with Skubal going into free agency thereafter–similar to what the Yankees did with Juan Soto?
CBS Sports points to Wilyer Abreu and/or Triston Casas as starting points for a deal.
The site adds: “The Red Sox also have the means to include another young, big-league ready hitter — Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, or even Ceddanne Rafaela — and/or an interesting arm (think Payton Tolle, Brandon Clarke, Kyson Witherspoon, or Connelly Early). That’s without mentioning infielder Franklin Arias, arguably the best player in the system.”
Worthy Risk for Red Sox
Sussing out a potential Red Sox package from that list, it could go something like Casas, Rafaela and Tolle for Skubal. That would be a low-end deal. On the high end, the Red Sox’s cost would be Abreu, Mayer and Witherspoon, this year’s first-round pick.
It’s highly doubtful the Red Sox would include Arias in an impending free-agent trade.
But if the Red Sox could get away with something on the lower end of that player mix, if the Tigers finally resign themselves to giving up Skubal, it would be a risky but worthy gamble for Breslow. It’s a big “if” but it should be at least on the Red Sox’s wish list here in mid-November.
