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Now that wide receiver AJ Brown has been officially traded to the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles fans have begun to theorize as to why he wanted out of Philly so bad. One theory gaining particular traction on social media involves a love triangle between Brown, Haason Reddick, and a massage therapist, and the actions of Jalen Hurts.
The theory, first shared by X/Twitter user @mansasimba and spreading rapidly in Philadelphia Eagles corners on social media, claims that the cause of AJ Brown’s locker room discontent stems back to 2023.
Conspiracy theory about AJ Brown, Haason Reddick, Jalen Hurts and a massage therapist side chick gaining traction among Philadelphia Eagles fans
According to the account, both Brown and Haason Reddick were allegedly seeing the same massage therapist romantically, although without Brown’s knowledge. A third player — identified in the post as “QB1” and assumed to be Jalen Hurts — reportedly knew about the overlapping relationships but chose not to tell Brown.
Brown allegedly found out that Hurts knew but didn’t say anything and felt betrayed by that action. The source of the theory characterizes Brown as having a sense of “blind loyalty that ultimately serves his own interests” and suggests the situation created lasting tension in the locker room throughout 2023.
“This account is based on information shared with me by sources I trust. People are free to believe it or dismiss it as they see fit,” @mansasimba clarified in his explanation.
Now that 1KAlwaysSimpin is no longer an eagle I want to start this by asking one question. Why would you trade a dominant, double digit, sack DE just one season after he helped you get to a Super Bowl? Even took dead cap hit of ~$21.515 million for 2024.
— Mansa Simba (@mansasimba) June 1, 2026
The real story on why AJ Brown requested to be traded
Credit to @mansasimba for this. This condensed version is quoted directly from a thread he posted today pic.twitter.com/bGZFLY7UVe
— Joe Pezz🇵🇷🦅 (@joepezz_) June 1, 2026
While Reddick was traded to the Jets in 2024, Brown remained discontented and continued to seek a trade away from Philadelphia. Reports indicate that Brown had requested a trade after Week 4 of the 2025 season, at which point the Eagles were 4-0.
Brown’s trade to New England became official on June 1 — the Eagles sent the Pro Bowl pass catcher to the Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Philadelphia waiting until after June 1 to execute the trade allowed the team to split Brown’s $43.45 million dead money hit across two seasons rather than absorbing it all in 2026.