PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles shook up the first round of the NFL draft Thursday with a blockbuster trade, acquiring star receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans for the 18th and 101st overall picks.
Brown, who had been seeking a new deal, has agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract with the Eagles that includes $57 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN’s Kimberley Martin.
The 24-year-old Brown was entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Titans and was scheduled to make a base salary of just under $4 million in 2022.
“This wasn’t my fault,” Brown told ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer.”
The Titans, who had repeatedly stated that they were not considering trading Brown, used the 18th pick on Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks.
“At the end of the day, we have to make — I have to make — the hard decisions,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. “And there’s a lot of things that impact those decisions. Certainly, the finances impact the decisions and trying to get value when we can. And that’s the decision we made today.”
“I love A.J. personally, but I am very comfortable with how this went down and how Jon and I were able to navigate,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “I try to support him and make decisions. Unfortunately, we understand if we are going to be here awhile, we are not going to be able to keep every single player that we draft and develop.”
Brown had 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games last season. He surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his first two seasons, including a 70-catch, 1,075-yard campaign in 2020 when he hauled in a career-best 11 TDs.
In Philadelphia, Brown will be paired alongside DeVonta Smith, last year’s 10th overall pick, to make what promises to be a formidable duo for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“We’re really excited to have [Brown] on this team,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s a strong man, he’s quick for a big guy and…
Source : espn
