Sirianni defends A.J. Brown after in-game spat (0:47)
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni speaks to reporters on A.J. Brown’s dropped passes vs. the 49ers. (0:47)
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Tim McManusJan 11, 2026, 10:43 PM ET
- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended A.J. Brown following Sunday’s 23-19 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a game that included multiple drops by the star wide receiver and a heated sideline exchange between the two.
“He’s got the best hands I’ve ever seen. The way he catches the ball, the amount of different types of catches that he’s made. When you get as many targets as he does, you’re going to have some drops,” said Sirianni, who noted the wind affected the ball in the air. “I know he will beat himself up on that.”
Brown had two drops, tying a career high.
One of them came with a little over two minutes remaining in the contest on third-and-5 from Philadelphia’s 40-yard line with the Eagles trailing by four points. Jalen Hurts kept the possession going by completing a pass to tight end Dallas Goedert on fourth down, and the Eagles eventually made it down to San Francisco’s 21-yard line before the drive stalled, ending their season in disappointing fashion.
Brown, who finished with three catches for 25 yards on seven targets, declined to speak to the media postgame.
Sirianni and Brown had an animated interaction late in the first half. Brown and Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata were slow to get off the field following a third-down incompletion, prompting Sirianni to run down the sideline and yell at them to get off the field as the special teams readied to punt. Brown appeared to take exception, and the two got face-to-face before Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro calmly guided Brown in another direction.
“I love that — that passion, that fire, that grit,” Mailata said of Brown. “He gives everything every week for us. He’s dealt with some injuries, and he’s made himself available every game this year to be out there playing.”
Asked what Brown said to Sirianni, Mailata noted it was “not my business” and joked that he was “just trying to get in the way” of Sirianni and Brown.
“Hey, between me and Dom, that’s a lot of space,” Mailata said.
Sirianni downplayed the exchange.
“I think he knows how I feel about him,” the coach said of Brown. “I have a special relationship with him. We’ve probably [gone] through every emotion you can possibly have together. We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried together. We’ve yelled at each other. We’re both emotional. I was trying to get him off the field, and that happens in this game.
“That happens in this game, but I love him.”
It was a bit of a rocky campaign for Brown, who got off to a slow start and voiced his frustration on multiple occasions, whether it was at his locker or on social media. He saw a jump in targets and production beginning around the midpoint of the season and finished with 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.
Still, Philadelphia’s talented offense was never able to find its footing, and it eventually caught up to the Eagles during an elimination game against San Francisco.
“I thought he’s led with great humility and character, picking us up when we haven’t been executing,” Mailata said of Brown. “He’s been pretty vocal.”
