The Trade that Destroyed a franchise
It all begins with an idea.
By: Dharya Sharma
A little over a year ago, the Tennessee Titans traded WR A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a first round and third round pick. The Titans used that first round pick on Arkansas WR Treylon Burks, who many compared to Brown. Absolutely no one expected A.J. Brown to be traded at the time, so the move shocked many, including Titans fans. The traded opened up a Super Bowl window for one team, and closed a Super Bowl Window for another…
A.J. Brown was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the 51st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Brown was excellent for the Titans in his rookie season, as he had a 1,000 yard campaign and established himself as the clear-cut number one receiver in Tennessee. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2020 after another 1,000 yard season, and it finally looked like the Titans had found there future superstar wide receiver. Though Brown dealt with some injuries in 2021, he was still great when he was on the field. With how well Brown played in his first three seasons, he expected to get a massive, new contract from the Titans. Though the Titans expressed interest in giving Brown an extension, they didn’t want to break the bank doing so. According to Brown, the Titans offered him a measly 16 million dollar per year contract, and Brown rejected it. the two sides continued to negotiate a deal for weeks before they stopped contract talks. Just weeks after they stopped the talks, Brown was traded to the Eagles and they gave him a four year, 100 million dollar contract. The unwillingness to pay Brown ended up costing the Titans a chance at competing for a Super Bowl. Derrick Henry can’t do everything, and the Titans found that out the hard way. For the Eagles, the Brown trade opened up their Super Bowl window and took QB Jalen Hurts’ game to the next level as he was an MVP candidate last season. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl, narrowingly losing to the Chiefs.
The Titans costed themselves a chance to compete for a Super Bowl by trading one of their best players, and it will be known as one of the worst decisions in franchise history if Treylon Burks doesn’t pan out!
Trade Grades-
Titans: D
Eagles: A+