Titans WR Passed Over on Fifth-Year Option

The Titans selected Burks in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at 18th overall. The organization traded the Philadelphia Eagles for that pick position in exchange for A.J. Brown, closing the book on what was, in retrospect, an unfortunate trade for the Titans.

Burks' short NFL career has been defined by injuries. In the 2022 season he was put on injured reserve in Week 4 due to turf toe and a concussion, but returned to regular play one month later. An LCL sprain during a joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 kept him out of two games. He suffered yet another knee injury in Week 7 of 2024 and subsequently went in for surgery on his ACL, shutting him out of the season after playing in just five games.

Brown, on the other hand, has excelled with the Eagles. Following the trade in 2022, Brown went on to break the Eagles' franchise record for receiving yards, set in 1983, with 1,496. He exceeded 1400 receiving yards again in 2023, becoming the first Eagles player to do so in back-to-back seasons. He won Super Bowl LIX last year with the team, and signed a three-year extension in April 2024 for $96 million. Brown is the fifth-highest paid receiver in the NFL.

When asked about Burks' fifth year option on Monday, Titans' head of football operations Chad Brinker said they would "probably not" pick up Burks. That statement was confirmed with today's decision.

Though the wideout is signed through the 2025 season, in the wake of his recent ACL surgery, it is unknown whether he will be healed enough to participate in this year's training camp.

Head coach Brian Callaghan said of Burks, “He’s got to come in and make some plays. I think he’s always had the ability and he’s shown flashes of it, but we’re just looking for the consistency to show up when it’s time to show up.”