New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown had plenty to say about his former team after Wednesday’s joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles. But when questions about his departure from Philadelphia and quarterback Jalen Hurts kept coming, Brown made it clear he did not want to revisit the past.

“Philly, man, y’all are tough, man,” Brown said to Philadelphia reporters after two of them had asked him about Jalen Hurts and how he left things.

“Honestly, guys, none of that stuff even matters,” he said. “I think you all should want to report something positive. You know, asking the question is going to turn negative. So let’s not get into that, and let’s keep everything positive.”

Brown’s response came after he had already spoken warmly about his time in Philadelphia.

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“I love Philly, and I will always love Philly, but I’m here now. That’s where my feet are, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

The questions were understandable given the circumstances. Brown was facing the Eagles for the first time since Philadelphia traded him to New England on June 1. He spent four years with the Eagles, winning Super Bowl LIX. And in that time, he’d created one of, if not the best, wide receiver-quarterback dynamics with Jalen Hurts. The two were close friends before Brown ever joined the Eagles, and Hurts helped bring him to Philadelphia in 2022.

Brown made the quarterback his daughter’s godfather; the two were that close. However, during the 2025 season, that bond looked weak.

Brown’s frustration was pretty clear during the 2025 season. He had issues with how the Eagles were using him and made that known at times, like when he told fans not to bet on him in fantasy football. And with time, the Eagles made it clear that they were moving on from Brown. In the 2026 draft, they picked a young, dynamic Makai Lemon, fueling the rumors of Brown’s exit.

After Brown was traded to the Patriots, he and Hurts were “not as close as we once were,” but there was “no bad blood” between them, he said on 7PM in Brooklyn.

When asked in the latest presser if he’d make plans with Hurts, here’s what Brown said:

“I’m sure [if] we run across, our paths run across, yeah, sure, yeah.”

Brown was also quick to end all conversations about his ‘past,’ with a message to Philadelphia fans.

“I love you and, you know, I’m not looking in the past,” he said. “… I’m not going backwards;it doesn’t exist. And that’s the last question I’m going to answer about the past.”

Now Brown is focused on New England and building his next chapter with the Patriots. After Wednesday’s practice, he made it clear that is where his attention is even if Philadelphia reporters were not quite ready to let the old story go.