Glennon: Titans Should Just Pay A.J. -- Now

In three NFL seasons, the Pro Bowl wide receiver out of Ole Miss has shown the team's traditional timetable for such deals ought not apply.

NASHVILLE – If you’re the Tennessee Titans, and your plan is to sign wide receiver A.J. Brown to a long-term contract at some point this offseason, it’s time to do so sooner rather than later.

We know that’s not the precedent the franchise has set. Traditionally, big-money contract extensions for young stars – like those given to left tackle Taylor Lewan, safety Kevin Byard and running back Derrick Henry – have been done closer to – or at the start of – training camp.

That timetable makes sense from a business perspective. The Titans will know more about their payroll in July than in April. They’ll also know Brown hasn’t suffered some freak injury – either on or off the field – during the offseason.

But just because it’s smart doesn’t mean Brown has to like it.

In fact, it’s pretty clear that he does not, based on the fact Brown didn’t report for voluntary OTA sessions and on the interpretation – right or wrong – of numerous social media steps he’s taken, including the removal of the word “Tennessee” from his Twitter bio.

The issue that makes this year different than previous one is this: The NFL wide receiver market has gone bonkers this offseason, and Brown wants to join the paycheck party – pronto.

Can you blame him?

Why should he be the patient guy waiting on the Titans’ traditional timetable when his fellow wide receivers are getting paid left and right?

Consider some of the eye-popping deals that have been struck over the last couple months alone: Green Bay’s Davante Adams (five years, worth up to $140 million); Miami’s Tyreek Hill (four years, worth up to $120 million); Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk (four years, worth up to $72 million); Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs (five years, worth up to $72 million); Carolina’s D.J. Moore (three years, worth up to $61.9 million); Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin (three years, worth up to $60 million); and the L.A. Chargers’ Mike Williams (three years, worth up to $60 million).

Another way of looking at how radically things have changed for wide receivers in recent weeks? Four of the five highest-valued wide-receiver contracts in the NFL – and seven of the top 12 – have been signed this offseason, per overthecap.com.

And yet one more viewpoint: In 2021, only one wide receiver -- Amari Cooper -- had a cap value of $20 million or more. In 2023, when Brown’s next contract will kick in, the number of wide receivers with a cap value of $20 million or more is already up to 14 – and that total is rising like a springtime thermometer.

Eliminate the Opportunity for Things to go Sideways

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

So, what must it feel like for the young guns of the 2019 draft class – like Brown, San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel, Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf and Washington’s Terry McLaurin – to watch and wait their turn, considering all are now eligible for contract extensions after producing big-time numbers over their first three seasons?

In the Titans’ perfect scenario, Brown would patiently bide his time over the next few months.

There seems little doubt he eventually will be paid what he’s worth, based on what general manager Jon Robinson and coach Mike Vrabel have said. In addition, the team’s track record of rewarding their best young players is a good one. Not only did Lewan, Byard and Henry get significant contract extensions from Robinson, but the team also recently re-signed edge rusher Harold Landry to a whopping five-year, $87.5 million contract.

Patience, however, does not appear to be in great supply for the 24-year-old Brown, not at a time when so many dollars are raining down upon so many fellow wide receivers.

Brown is ready for some long-term security, which would come in the form of a multi-year deal averaging more than $20 million per season.

The Titans certainly can choose to stick with their traditional blueprint for locking up budding stars, which would mean enduring plenty of offseason drama and distraction such as Brown potentially sitting out the team’s mandatory mini-camp in June – and maybe the start of training camp as well.

But what if things go that much farther off the rails as a result, and Brown goes public with a trade request – as Samuel did on Wednesday?

Once that kind of statement is made, even if done in a rash and emotional moment, it’s a tough one to walk back.

Bottom line: If the Titans believe they can’t or won’t re-sign Brown, then it’s time to trade him – before next week’s draft. That way, the Titans would be able to start re-building the receiver room, which would be highlighted by Robert Woods, who is 30 years old and coming off ACL surgery.

But if the Titans do plan to re-sign Brown – and again, they’ve said repeatedly they intend to – then it’s time to get down to business, sooner rather than later.

That may mean a change to the traditional offseason approach. But every so often, exceptions must be made to the rule.

A.J. Brown qualifies as one.