A.J. Brown fires back at Titans fans over contract dispute

On Monday, it was reported that a trio of star NFL wide receivers will be skipping on-field workouts with offseason programs getting underway across the league. Those three players were A.J. Brown from the Titans, Terry McLaurin from the Commanders, and Deebo Samuel from the 49ers. Now, Brown’s situation with the Titans has taken another turn.

After the report of Brown being likely to hold out, at least from on-field work, he removed “TENNESSEE” from his Twitter bio on Monday. Then, on Monday afternoon, Brown tweeted a message out to Titans fans, some of which have turned on the star wide receiver for seeking a new deal.

“I’m a diva and a bad teammate all of sudden, lol ok,” Brown tweeted. “Do what you have to do then and so will I.”

Brown first joined the Titans when he was selected with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. Next season will be his fourth in the league, and he is now eligible to sign a contract extension with just one year remaining on his rookie deal.

An extension would certainly be deserved for Brown, as he has been a consistent weapon for the Titans. As a rookie, he brought in 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns. During the 2020 season, he had 70 catches for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. This past season, Brown was limited to 13 games due to injuries, but he still turned in 63 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.

Locking up Brown is very important for the Titans

Behind Brown, the Titans saw a lot of inconsistencies from the wide receiver room last season. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine brought in 38 receptions for 476 yards and four touchdowns as the team’s second-leading receiver. Julio Jones, who was acquired last offseason, played in just ten games, bringing in 31 receptions for 434 yards and one touchdown. Jones was released this offseason.

In March, the Titans acquired wide receiver Robert Woods from the Los Angeles Rams for just a sixth-round pick. Woods has been a very productive receiver in recent years for the Rams, bringing in at least 900 receiving yards in each of the past three seasons where he’s been fully healthy. Woods missed the second half of last season with a torn ACL.

Brown is a key focal point of the Titans offense, along with star running back Derrick Henry. With stars such as Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill being traded in lieu of contract disputes this offseason, a move is certainly possible if an agreement can’t be made. The wide receiver market has been drastically shifted, and now Brown is looking to earn his first big paycheck of his NFL career.