PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A.J. Brown is ranked the 22nd-best player in the NFL. He's had a Super Bowl appearance, three 1,000-plus yard seasons out of four total years in the league, and a total of 35 touchdowns in his career.
That would give anyone a big head, but for Brown, it’s just what he’s supposed to do.
From Starkville, Mississippi, the 2019 second-round pick has made his presence known in the NFL from the jump, especially after his first record-setting season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Brown may be known around the league as a fierce competitor, a top talent, and a hard-nosed wide receiver, back home, he’s just “Jay” to family, friends and other members of the community.
“He’s a homebody. He just wants to be home. He’s at home with his family,” Josette Robertson, Brown’s mother, told Jeff McLane on the season 2 premiere of the "unCovering the Birds" podcast.
While Brown might not make a big deal about all he’s accomplished, those who have known him the longest say he’s always had success on his path.
They just might not have seen football in his future.
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From a young age, Brown was a terrific athlete. His father, Arthur, helped foster his talents. But baseball, not football, was the younger Brown’s best sport. Ultimately, he chose to pursue the latter.
“As an educator, you just never know how kids are going to turn out,” said Cynthia Milons, Brown’s 10th-grade English teacher at Starkville High School. “To have someone like A.J. … when they leave high school, they [can] soar, the way he’s soaring.”
Brown’s high school wide receivers coach, Willie Gillespie, shared that even though he could see Brown’s God-given talents, he didn’t know if he would be able to play wide receiver.
“To be honest with you, he was just so green at the time,” Gillespie said. “He knew absolutely nothing about playing the position.”
More episodes of unCovering the Birds
Still, Gillespie coached, and Brown learned, leading to him becoming a highly touted high school prospect with more than 2,400 yards and 29 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons.
From there, he never looked back, and he has become one of the elite players in the NFL.
To hear more about Brown’s upbringing and who he is off the field, listen to this week’s episode of "unCovering the Birds" in the player below or wherever you get your podcasts.
Raising A.J. Brown
New episodes of “unCovering the Birds” drop every Friday. Listen in the Audacy app or wherever you get your podcasts. “unCovering the Birds” is sponsored by Wawa.