In 2021, before the Philadelphia Eagles acquired AJ Brown in a trade with the Tennessee Titans or signed his college teammate Elijah Moore in free agency, the future Super Bowl Champion opened up about his mental health challenges.

Talking to reporters in Tennessee, Brown revealed that during his time at Ole Miss, he seriously considered taking his own life, but his teammate at the time, Moore, helped to talk him down from doing anything drastic, forming a life-long bond between the two teammates that will be on full display in Philadelphia.

“Like I said, it was a dark moment, and it was a year ago where I had thought about, you know taking my life, and it was it was special to me because it just came with my heart that I wanted to share with others and help others as much as I can. Like I said, I'm here. There's so much to be grateful for,” Brown shared while still with the Titans.

“I'm blessed. I know I wake up every day and get to play the game that I love, but you know, I have loved ones around me that love me dearly, you know, and I just wanted to help someone, hopefully I could save a life or anything. Life happens to everyone, you know, I'm human just like everyone else, just because I play this beautiful game, it doesn't mean life is not gonna happen to me, too. So like I'm grateful for the person that was there for me, and I just wanted to encourage everyone to seek help if you're down and depressed, just try to get help.”

Sharing his side of the story in an interview with ESPN in 2022, Moore noted that his friendship with Brown is deeper than that of just teammates, with the duo forging a true brotherhood that will live on outside of the game.

“I wouldn't even call it a friendship. It's family,” he said. “The things we've been through, the things we talk about, it has real substance. That's someone who is connected to me in a way that's more than… ” Moore said. “He's blood.”

Does the addition of Moore mean the Eagles won't still consider trading Brown at or after the 2026 NFL Draft? No, while some view this move as one designed to either convince Brown to stay or to replace his production if he leaves, moves made three weeks into free agency rarely have that level of gravity behind them. This signing instead serves as a reminder that football isn't only about the Xs and Os, but the players who take the field each week, too, and how their friendships can help to overcome even the more dire of situations.