A.J. Brown Says He's 'Not As Close' With Jalen Hurts, But 'No Bad Blood'

A.J. Brown is opening up on his relationship with former teammate Jalen Hurts ... finally admitting they aren't as tight anymore -- but he still has love for the guy.

Fresh off being traded to New England, the receiver sat down with Maria Taylor for an interview on "7PM in Brooklyn x Creative 7" ... with a Patriots "Man Cave" rug laying under their feet -- a purchase he says he made years ago, even though he was a member of the Eagles at the time.

The lifelong Pats fan shared his excitement to play for the team he worshipped growing up during the chat ... while also shedding light on his time in the City of Brotherly Love, specifically the apparent falling out with QB1.

"Not as close as we once were," Brown said. "I believe that's fine. It's like there's no bad blood. There's actually still a lot of love. I love him. I love him to death. I want him to succeed and accomplish all the things that he wants to accomplish."

He continued ... "I truly didn't understand why our friendship became the center of everybody's attention when it came to football because looking back on it, we haven't been as close as we were a couple of years now, but that didn't stop anything."

He's got a point -- the two won a Super Bowl together.

Brown said they still went about their business like everything was cool ... but called it "strange" how people tried to dissect their personal matters.

Brown insists nothing sparked the separation ... they just grew apart and "life happens."

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Hurts did not attend Brown's wedding last month ... a huge sign they were not as close, considering Hurts is the godfather of Brown's kid.