Robinson: Titans 'Working Through' Brown's Contract Wishes
NASHVILLE – The lines of communication remain open between the Tennessee Titans and A.J. Brown, and the team’s desire to keep him remains unchanged.
But general manager Jon Robinson gave no indication that a change in Brown’s status – such as a contract extension or even a trade – is imminent.
A Pro Bowl receiver who has put up big numbers in his first three seasons – 185 catches for 2,995 yards (16.2-yard average) and 24 touchdowns – Brown is eligible for an extension. He chose not to report for the start of the voluntary offseason training program that began this week, and he has written a number of social-media posts that appear to express frustration with the current situation.
So where do things stand?
“We’ve had some discussions with his reps,” Robinson said Thursday. “When he was here a couple weeks ago, I talked to him. [We’re] working through that. Not going to get into any detail with contract negotiations, ... we’ve made it public about how we feel about A.J. and how we want him to be a part of this football team.”
Robinson did address a question about the possibility of trading Brown prior to the NFL Draft next Thursday, saying “(I) do not foresee that happening.”
That may sound at first like a crazy hypothetical, given how often the Titans have expressed their intent to sign Brown to an extension, and given how much he has meant to the offense ever since he was chosen in the second round of the 2019 draft.
But the explosion of the wide-receiver market this offseason could theoretically cause an issue for the Titans and Brown, given the size of the raise he and other 2019 standouts – like Washington’s Terry McLaurin, San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel and Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf – might be seeking.
Some of the eye-opening deals that have been struck with wide receivers 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).
In 2021, only one wide receiver -- Amari Cooper -- had a cap value of $20 million or more. In 2023, the number of wide receivers with a cap value of $20 million or more is already up to 14.
It seems clear that Brown, even though less experienced than those receivers, would command a multi-year deal averaging at least $20 million – and probably more.
“I don’t know what the trends are with (the wide-receiver position), but it’s interesting to see where that has shifted,” Robinson said. “Every year, it seems like certain positions, there’s ebbs and flows with how those markets go. A couple years ago, the safety market was down. That’s when we got Kenny Vaccaro. He was out there for a while. We were fortunate enough that he was out there in August. So, you just kind of, year to year, (watch) how those market trends are.”
Wide receiver already had been considered a position of need for the Titans in the draft, considering the team has just two highly productive pass-catchers on the roster – Brown and fellow Robert Woods. The 30-year-old Woods has 570 catches for 7,077 yards and 35 touchdowns in nine seasons, but is coming off ACL surgery.
If the Titans had any uncertainty over Brown’s return in 2022, might it impact the team’s draft strategy, possibly increasing the likelihood the Titans would choose a wide receiver in the first round?
Robinson was asked that question Thursday but didn’t answer it directly.
“I think we’re trying to get the best football player available for our football team,” Robinson said. “You’re going to need every position at some point. We saw that last year with 91 different guys that lined up for us.
“So, you’re going to need a lot of good football players at a lot of different positions over the course of the season. So (we’re) just trying to put ourselves in the best position to take the best player that we think helps our football team.”
