A.J. Brown talks shocking trade to Eagles: 'This wasn't my fault. I wanted to stay'
Former Tennessee Titans receiver A.J. Brown wants fans to know he is not at fault for the trade that sent him to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. Brown said he wanted to stay with the Titans, and that he believed the two sides were closer to a deal than reported.
Brown said he wasn't happy with the deal the Titans offered originally, according to ESPN.
"This wasn't my fault," Brown told ESPN. "I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer. The deal they offered wasn't even $20 million a year."
Brown said the deal averaged $16 million per season with incentives that could bring his yearly salary up to $20 million. Brown wasn't a fan of that deal. He said he would have signed if the Titans offered $22 million per season.
Instead, the team shipped him to the Eagles for the No. 18 and No. 102 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The Titans selected wide receiver Treylon Burks with the No. 18 overall pick. Burks has received a number of comparisons to Brown, the guy Burks is replacing in Tennessee.
A.J. Brown gets the deal he wants in Philadelphia
Brown probably isn't too upset about the trade. The Eagles immediately handed Brown a four-year, $100 million contract. The contract makes Brown the fourth-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. The deal also pays Brown $25 million per year, which should make the wideout happy.
Brown emerged as one of the best receivers in the NFL shortly after getting drafted by the Titans in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. He exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, catching 19 touchdowns over that period.
Brown was limited by injuries in 2021, and finished the season with 869 yards and 5 touchdowns in 13 games.
