PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles shook up the first round of the NFL draft Thursday with a blockbuster trade, acquiring star receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans for the 18th and 101st overall picks.
Brown, who had been seeking a new deal, has agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract with the Eagles that includes $57 million guaranteed
Brown, 24, was entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Titans and was scheduled to make a base salary of just under $4 million in 2022.
"This wasn't my fault," Brown told ESPN's Turron Davenport. "I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer."
The Titans, who had repeatedly stated that they were not considering trading Brown, used the 18th pick on Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks.
"At the end of the day, we have to make -- I have to make -- the hard decisions," Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. "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.
"I love A.J. personally, but I am very comfortable with how this went down and how Jon and I were able to navigate," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "I try to support him and make decisions. Unfortunately, we understand if we are going to be here a while, we are not going to be able to keep every single player that we draft and develop."
Brown had 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games last season. He surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his first two seasons, including a 70-catch, 1,075-yard campaign in 2020 when he hauled in a career-best 11 TDs.
In Philadelphia, Brown will be paired alongside DeVonta Smith, last year's 10th overall pick, to make what promises to be a formidable duo for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
"We're really excited to have [Brown] on this team," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "He's a strong man, he's quick for a big guy and he catches everything. There is no projection. You've seen him do it in the NFL for three years now.''
The Eagles' odds to win the Super Bowl improved from 50-1 to 40-1 at Caesars Sportsbook after the trade. Philadelphia also went from 20-1 to 18-1 to win the NFC and is at +325 to win the NFC East at Caesars.
"Really excited to get him just in terms of how [Sirianni] can use him and his vision for A.J. Brown in this offense and how he complements the other guys that we have here," Eagles GM Howie Roseman said. "As you guys may or may not know, his relationship with our quarterback -- all exciting things. Looking forward to getting him into Philadelphia."
The Brown acquisition was the Eagles' second trade of the night. Minutes earlier, they moved up to the 13th pick to select Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, the 6-foot-6, 340-pound anchor of the Bulldogs' championship defense.
The Eagles sent the 15th, 124th, 162nd and 166th overall picks to the Houston Texans for Davis, who created a giant buzz at the scouting combine with an impressive athletic display that included a 4.78-second 40-yard dash -- the fastest 40 time by a player 325 pounds or heavier at the combine since at least 2006, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Davis had 32 tackles (five for loss) and two sacks in 14 games last season for the Bulldogs. He played only 38% of Georgia's defensive snaps in 2021 and was mostly a two-down player, playing just 16% of snaps on third down. That created questions heading into the draft about whether Davis is just a run-stuffing tackle.
The Eagles believe he can be an effective pass-rusher as well, and that he was taken off the field that much only because of the incredible talent on the Georgia roster.
