A.J. Brown addresses rumors surrounding Titans trade, unhappiness with organization

Thursday night brought a frenzy of trades in the 2022 NFL Draft, with the most high profile being between the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. Wide receiver A.J. Brown was sent over into the NFC, with general manager Howie Roseman getting the elite weapon he has been looking for.

During his introductory press conference, Brown finally addressed the rumors surrounding the trade and if he was unhappy with the Titans organization. Brown said his mindset was pretty simple — he just wanted what he has done as an NFL wide receiver to be appreciated and that seems to be Philadelphia.

“I wanted my work to be appreciated,” Brown said. “That’s pretty much it.”

Brown was then asked if Tennessee ever gave an explanation as to why they were pulling the trigger on a trade despite drafting him. He recognizes there’s a business side to the NFL and that there was no ill will between the wide receiver and the organization.

“No explanation,” said Brown. “They were just sorry it couldn’t work out, it’s a business. Things happen and you move on and I appreciate the time, everything they did for me. People down there, I have no bad blood with the Titans. They believed in me, they drafted me. They got my career started.”

Tennessee drafted Brown in the second round with the 52nd overall pick in 2019. The former Ole Miss wide receiver instantly became a staple in their offense, going for 2,995 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons. Even for a group that preferred to run the ball, Brown got the call when needed.

Beginning his career there, Brown talked about how it was bittersweet to be leaving the franchise. However, now that it’s fully complete and he has begun to settle in, Brown is beginning to come to terms with how everything went down.

“I knew about the possible trade around like 1:00,” Brown said. “Just mixed emotions. I went to work out and actually worked out real hard, tried to get some stuff off my chest. It was just up and downs. Like I said, it was bittersweet. I was a little sad that the Titans were on board with the trade but it’s a part of the business and that’s fine but once everything got done, the trade went through, Jalen (Hurts) called me — he made it a lot easier. Like I said, it’s been bittersweet but I am still excited to be part of a great organization.”

Finally, Brown had the opportunity to say whether or not he requested a trade but he did not give. His focus is on moving forward and working with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m going to try to not get into all of that,” said Brown. “But I am not going to look backward, you know, moving forward.”