Brown turns down temp on Titans reunion
PHILADELPHIA » The business at hand over and the Eagles having deposited another victory in the bank Sunday night, A.J. Brown made a confession.
With the Tennessee Titans already game-planning for him this weekend, Brown said he felt partly responsible for the animosity spilling over in Nashville when the Titans traded him to Philly for first- and thirdround picks during the NFL draft. That shocking deal last spring netted Brown the four-year, $100 million contract he was unable to entice from the Titans.
“I know people are going to try to hype it up,” Brown said at his locker at Lincoln Financial Field after a 40-33 win over Green Bay. “I mean part of it may be my fault, too, on Twitter and stuff. I’ve grown from that. I’m going to be focused and try to play my best ball on Sunday.”
Just in case the Titans think Brown has gone soft,
the primary reason he’s trying to move on from a very difficult chapter is because it makes no sense to carry that burden any longer.
Brown ranks fourth in
the league with 53 receptions and seven touchdown grabs, and sixth on the circuit with a 15.7 yards-percatch average. Though he’s put the ball on the ground in
each of the last two games, he’s brought that fierce Titans attitude to both the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is tearing it up.
On Sunday, Hurts rushed for 158 yards to spark the Eagles. Hurts is every bit as valuable to the Eagles as running back Derrick Henry is to the Titans (7-4), who lead the NFC South but are coming off a 20-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brown is thankful for the trade. He realizes there’s no point in carrying on as he did in an infamously acerbic (and since-deleted) tweet in August, after top receivers Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel all were rewarded with big contracts. Brown tweeted: “All 4 of us got the same contract and I’m the only one who got traded… yeah keep believing it was me . Anywho Go Birds ?? #CarryOn”
Obviously, that wasn’t well received by Titans Nation, already lamenting the use of the first-rounder they acquired on wide receiver Treylon Burks of Arkansas. With 24 receptions for 334 yards (13.9 ypr) and zero TDs, he hardly looks like a suitable replacement.
Brown led Tennessee in receiving in each of his three seasons, grabbing 185 passes for 2,995 yards (16.2 average) and 24 touchdowns.
All of that should make for an interesting afternoon at the Linc Sunday. Titans week is finally here for Brown, who when previously approached about his time with the organization has repeatedly asked reporters, “Can we not talk about that?”
Well, there’s a reason for that. The feud is over. The game isn’t about payback because the way Brown sees it, he’s already prevailed.
“I know they’re going to be coming, I know they’re going to be chirping,” Brown said of the Titans. “But it really doesn’t mean nothing to me. Honest. I mean, I feel like I’ve won. I’ve won in the sense of I got a chance to take care of my family. They did give me an opportunity, but I got a chance to take care of my family and I’m 10-1.
“Of course, I want to play well. But I won. I’m so happy I won.”