NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans began this year’s NFL draft trying to make the best of a tough situation.
The Titans traded wide receiver A.J. Brown on Thursday night, a move they insisted they didn’t want to make – but one they felt they had to because they believed his asking price for a contract extension was too high.
Even with a year remaining on Brown’s rookie deal, the Titans sent the former second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 18 selection, which they used to take Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks.
General manager Jon Robinson called it a tough decision. The Titans had been negotiating with Brown’s agents over the past few weeks, but the average salary per year for wide receivers has skyrocketed this offseason.
“The bar had kind of been raised on on that position, and we were trying to work through that and find some some common ground,” Robinson said. “But in the end, just felt like it was at a spot we weren’t going to be able to get to.”