'This wasn't my fault'
One of the most surprising results of the NFL Draft — yes, more surprising than the New England Patriots drafting Cole Strange at No. 29 overall — was A.J. Brown getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
Brown, who was responsible for nearly a quarter of the Titans’ receiving yards in 2021, did not participate in the voluntary portion of the Titans’ offseason program as he tried to work out a new contract with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2019. But the 24-year-old told ESPN’s Turron Davenport that the team would not meet his demands for an extension.
Brown claimed the Titans offered a $16 million salary with incentives that averaged $20 million annually, per Davenport. He told Davenport he would have remained with the club had they offered $22 million.
“This wasn’t my fault,” Brown said, per ESPN. “I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer. The deal they offered wasn’t even $20 million a year.”
Brown shared a similar sentiment in a now-deleted tweet posted shortly after the trade.
“Tennessee I love you and you will forever be in my heart and I can say this now? THIS WAS NOT MY FAULT,” he wrote. “But I wish you all the best. Love.”
Brown signed a four-year, $100 million deal with the Eagles.