AJ Brown went deeper into what transpired behind the scenes that ultimately led to his divorce with the Tennessee Titans.
The star wide receiver made an appearance on the “Raw Room” podcast and detailed how negotiations broke down with the Titans after the 2021 season. Brown said he felt disrespected by the team’s initial offer, which he said was for $16 million annually rising to $20 million with incentives. At that point, his agent told him to cut off communication with the Titans, and the team never did anything in response to try to fix things.
“They offered me like $16 million up to $20 million with incentives,” Brown said. “Like no disrespect but don’t disrespect me, you feel me? I’m playing behind Derrick Henry. Like, I can go crazy but he getting the ball 30 times, you know what I’m saying? So all that went down, my agent was like, ‘at some point you gotta let them know you’re not playing’. And I’m like I’ve never went through this s–t, I’m paying you to do a job, lead me. So, he’s like, ‘Stop talking to them. Cut off all communication.’
“They just never moved, bro. Even all the way up to the draft. Of course, we asked for a crazy number, 'cause that’s the start of negotiating. My agent knew I would’ve took $22 (million) to stay in Tennessee and it had nothing to do with football. It had everything to do with my daughter.”
Brown has been consistent in saying he had wanted $22 million to stay in Tennessee. What is less clear is where the two sides were on guaranteed money, as one earlier report suggested that Brown had a rather extreme ask there. Perhaps that is the “crazy number” he is referring to.
Brown was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he got a new deal worth $25 million annually. The team was rewarded with the best season of Brown’s career, as he caught 11 touchdowns and tallied 1,496 receiving yards in 2022.
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