A.J. Brown is grateful to be in Philadelphia, even if he doesn’t love the narratives surrounding the blockbuster trade that got him there.
During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans agreed to trade their No. 1 wide receiver to the Eagles in exchange for pick Nos. 18 and 101 overall. With the 18th pick, the Titans selected Treylon Burks — a thickly built receiver than many draft analysts actually compared to Brown.
Unfortunately for Burks, he struggled with concussions and knee injuries, including a torn ACL that derailed his 2023 season. The Titans decided to move on last month, parting ways with Burks with an injured/waived designation.
Brown knows what all Eagles fans do: Howie Roseman and the Eagles won the trade in a landslide. Cornerback Roger McCreary is the only player still on Tennessee’s roster who has a connection to the deal, and while McCreary's a projected starter in 2025, his rookie contract is set to expire after the season.
“I am a little sad for Treylon Burks,” Brown said,via Nick Gray of the Nashville Tennessean. I wish he could get healthy, because he is a good kid. I talk to him numerous times; I've got his number. And it sucks to see it go down like that."
Eagles trade for A.J. Brown is one of the NFL’s most lopsided since the millennium
With Burks’ NFL future now in some doubt, and Brown flourishing as one of the top wide receivers in football, the Titans’ bold move with Howie Roseman and company hasn’t aged well outside of the Philadelphia area code.
CBS Sports analyst Jared Dubin recently listed the deal among the league’s 12 worst since 2000:
“Brown has continued to dominate in Philadelphia, translating his per-route stats over larger samples and averaging 87 catches for 1,343 yards and eight touchdowns per season and playing a key role in two Super Bowl appearances and last year's Super Bowl victory,” Dubin wrote. “He's been a Second Team All-Pro in all three of his seasons with the Eagles. Burks ... struggled to even get on the field in the regular receiver rotation through his first three seasons and has been wholly unable to stay healthy. He just went on injured deserve for the third time in four years.”
There’s really no way around it. The Eagles won the trade by such a large margin, the NFL should award the Titans an extra compensatory pick. Tennessee didn’t only part ways with a freakish talent in Brown, but it parted ways with one of the more likeable superstars in the NFL. Brown always comes across as a genuine person in his dealings with fans and the media, and it’s not surprising that he has Burks’ number and checks in on him.
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As for the scoreboard? The Titans picked No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Eagles originally held the 32nd pick. In the NFL, it doesn’t get more lopsided than that.