Philadelphia Eagles acquire star WR A.J. Brown in blockbuster trade with Tennessee Titans
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 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, sources told ESPN’s Kimberley Martin.
The 24-year-old Brown was entering the final year of his rookie deal and was scheduled to make a base salary of just under $4 million in 2022.
The Titans, who had repeatedly stated that they were not considering trading Brown, used the 18th pick on Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks.
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.
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 are at +325 to win the NFC East at Caesars.
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 and166th 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.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.