Regrading Eagles’ A.J. Brown trade: Why it’s Philly szn all day long
A.J. Brown has had himself a spectacular first season with the Philadelphia Eagles after being traded by the Tennessee Titans. The former Titans star had 88 receptions for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. Brown broke the Eagles' single-season record for yards, surpassing Mike Quick's 1,409 yards from the 1983 season. His 11 touchdowns are tied for the fifth-most all-time in a single season for the Eagles.
In this season's playoffs, he's probably the best wide receiver left given his stellar performances in the regular season.
The highest-graded WR left in the playoffs 👀 https://t.co/vA9tWk7vnJ
All season, teams have struggled to contain him, even his former team. The Eagles faced the Titans in Week 13 and A.J. Brown reminded them of what they were missing. He had eight receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' 35-10 victory.
“This one meant a lot to me.
I’d be lying to you to say I didn’t circle this game”
“Today I’m gonna have to give you this whooping, but I still love you” 😂
-AJ Brown on beating his former team and his TD (reversed) celly https://t.co/HcNNZAdM88
Last August, while speaking to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, Brown noted that he holds no hard feelings toward his former team.
Brown said:
"You know, it's a business, and I'm not upset about the trade or anything because it is a business or whatever. But to be honest, I just didn't appreciate how it all went down, and they just kind of blamed me for it. I'm man enough to say that, however people may take it."
AJ Brown said he wanted to retire a Titan. Felt he did everything he could to make that happen. Then they traded him
“I wanted to make them regret that decision”
Brown added:
"But I have no bad blood with Tennessee. I'm moving forward. I'm happy to be here. But (there are) a lot of things people don't know about, and they're just pointing fingers at me. But that's OK."
There are several stories as to why the Titans decided to trade their young superstar, as many reports tell different stories.
How the A.J. Brown trade went down
Why the Tennessee Titans traded one of the best receivers in the NFL is a matter that will likely always be talked about. The current Eagles star told ESPN after the trade that the Titans didn't provide a deal that was valued at $20 million per year. Per NFL insider Dianna Russini, the Titans offered Brown over $20 million per year and ended talks with the team.
As mentioned earlier, the wideout noted that he wasn't at fault for the trade. Overall, there was a clear breakdown of contract extension talks between Brown and the Titans' front office. The then-Titans general manager ultimately traded Brown to the Eagles during last year's NFL Draft.
Eagles' grade
General manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles can easily give themselves an A+ for the trade. They acquired Brown, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons with the Titans. The Eagles gave up just their 18th and 101st overall picks in last year's draft to the Titans.
Roseman didn't sacrifice the future of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise in the trade for Brown. Roseman signed A.J. Brown to a four-year, $100 million extension following the trade.
Titans' grade
The Titans traded the 101st overall pick they received in the A.J. Brown trade to the New York Jets. They kept the 18th overall pick from that trade with the Eagles, drafting receiver Treylon Burks of Arkansas. Burks played in 11 games this season for the Titans. He had 33 receptions for 444 yards and a touchdown.
Treylon Burks Top Plays of the 2022 Season @TreylonBurks https://t.co/fxDr5AbbbQ
The grade for the Tennessee Titans in this trade would be a C- due to the lack of production from Burks. He was drafted to replace A.J. Brown as the franchise's No. 1 wideout. In time, Burks could be the receiver that Titans fans want.
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