2022 NFL Draft: 5 reasons trading AJ Brown for Treylon Burks was brilliant
No. 2: Trading AJ Brown was a smart long-term move for Tennessee Titans
Pro Bowl wide receiver AJ Brown has been an undeniably great talent for the Titans since arriving on the scene as the No. 51 overall pick out of Ole Miss in 2019.
He’s played 43 games for Tennessee, catching 185 passes for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has easily been one of QB Ryan Tannehill’s favorite targets.
Brown had reportedly been seeing several, shall we say “lesser,” wide receivers getting paid tons of money this offseason. He, along with San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel reportedly wanted new contracts based on the current market value.
The Titans and Brown tried to work on a new deal, but things were going nowhere fast, according to CBS Sports. Brown, clearly unhappy, was actually seen working out and catching passes from Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts just days before the team ultimately traded him to that very team on the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Moments after the trade was completed, Brown and the Eagles agreed to a new 4-year, $100 million contract extension.
The Titans had no desire to dig that deep into their pocketbooks for a player that has played 16 games in just one of his three seasons or for a player that has caught just two touchdowns in five career post-season games.
No. 3: Treylon Burks will fit in perfectly with the Tennessee Titans’ culture
Burks will slot in nicely in place of Brown next season, giving the Titans a dynamic weapon on the field. But, it’s his personality, interests, and passions outside of football that will resonate with Titan fans.
Burks has an edge to him that few other NFL players can claim: wild boar hunter. Burks hunts feral hogs with his bare hands, hunting dogs, and a knife.
The man is an avid fisherman too, evident by his social media feed in the days leading up to the draft. Burks was seen celebrating an impressive catch of several fish he had on a line.
Being fixated in the heart of Nashville— home to a culture that embraces a southern lifestyle of hunting, country music, and working hard while being laid back— fits Burks to a T.
I’m not sure there is a better fit geographically or athletically for Burks than with the Titans.