Following a surprise swap that saw the Philadelphia Eagles land Tennessee Titans wide receiver AJ Brown on night one of the NFL Draft, the team and player have also come to terms on a new long-term deal.
On Thursday, the Eagles made a major move on the opening night of the three-day 2022 NFL Draft by acquiring one of the best young pass-catchers in the league, AJ Brown, for the 18th and 101st overall picks.
However, along with adding the one-time Pro Bowler, the franchise also made sure to keep their new acquisition happy and secure his services for several more years to come. Brown was heading into 2022 on the final year of his rookie contract and was set to earn just under $4 million. Following the trade, ESPN reported that Brown and the Eagles had come to terms on a four-year contract extension for $100 million, with $57 million guaranteed.
Related: AJ Brown traded to Eagles on night one of NFL Draft
AJ Brown gets $57 million guaranteed from Philadelphia Eagles
“This wasn’t my fault,” Brown told ESPN’s Turron Davenport following the trade. “I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer.”
Despite reports that the Titans did not have any intention of moving the player they took with the 51st pick in the 2019 draft, general manager Jon Robinson pulled the trigger on the deal and took Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks with the 18th pick in the NFL draft.
- AJ Brown stats (2021): 63 receptions, 869 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns
“At the end of the day, we have to make — I have to make — the hard decisions,” Robinson said following the notable move [h/t ESPN]. “And there’s a lot of things that impact those decisions. Certainly, the finances impact the decisions and trying to get value when we can. And that’s the decision we made today.”
After back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving, Brown had a dip in his numbers after playing in an NFL career-low 13 games in 2021. Last season he racked up 63 receptions, 869 yards receiving, and five touchdowns.
“The trade was contingent on us getting an extension, so something we were working on during the course of the draft,” Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman said after the swap. “We were just kind of trying to balance finishing that and if we didn’t finish that, making sure we also got the right players. But it didn’t matter – the receivers on the board. For us, A.J. Brown was somebody that we had studied coming out and spent a lot of time on, and we had a lot of love for A.J. Brown in that draft.
Obviously, things went a different way in that draft. But really excited to get him just in terms of how coach can use him and his vision for A.J. Brown in this offense and how he complements the other guys that we have here.”
Brown will now be paired with the Eagles’ top pick in 2021, DeVonta Smith, and make a formidable receiving duo that will catch passes from young franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts.