Wide receiver A.J. Brown’s current and former teams both play on Monday night, although not against each other.
Brown and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Minnesota Vikings, while the Tennessee Titans face off against the Buffalo Bills.
Why was A.J. Brown traded?
Brown was traded by the Titans after tension built up between him and the team over a potential contract extension. The wide receiver was reportedly frustrated when Titans leaders dragged their feet on offering him a new, high-profile deal.
“In a series of cryptic tweets sent during the offseason, Brown seemingly voiced his displeasure with the way Tennessee handled negotiations,” Sporting News reported.
Although Brown has not confirmed this, NFL insiders believe the wide receiver ultimately asked to get traded and cut off communications with the Titans amid the contract negotiations, according to Sports Illustrated. Otherwise, team leaders likely would have done more to keep him in the building.
“A second-round pick in 2019, he led the Titans in receiving each of his first three years in the league and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020. Overall, he (had) 185 catches for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns,” Sports Illustrated reported.
When was A.J. Brown traded?
The Titans traded Brown to the Eagles during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft on April 28. In return for the wide receiver, they got a first- and third-round pick from Philadelphia.
In a press conference soon after the trade, Titans general manager Jon Robinson said that the trade became necessary after the team couldn’t come to an agreement with Brown on a new deal.
“We got to a spot where it was hard to get a deal done,” he said, according to Sporting News. “And the trade thing kind of manifested from that.”
Brown has said that he didn’t like how the trade went down and that he doesn’t deserve the blame for the Titans’ decision. But in August, he told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that he has no “bad blood” with his old team.
“I’m moving forward. I’m happy to be here,” he said.
How long will A.J. Brown be with the Eagles?
Less than an hour after the Titans-Eagles trade was announced, ESPN’s senior NFL insider, Adam Schefter, tweeted that Brown had signed a contract extension with his new team.
“Eagles are giving AJ Brown a 4-year, $100 million extension that includes $57 million guaranteed,” Schefter said.
Brown is now under contract through 2026.