Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown will be entering the final year of his rookie deal when the 2022 season begins, but it appears both sides are intent on working out a deal that keeps him in Nashville for the long haul.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown and the Titans are mutually interested in striking a deal at some point that will make the star wide receiver one of the highest-paid players at his position.
“I’m told the Tennessee Titans and Brown would like to work out a long-term deal that would no doubt make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL,” Rapoport said.
It isn’t clear exactly when both sides will get this deal done or for how much it’ll be for, but there is still plenty of time with Brown under contract for one more year.
From @NFLGameDay: #Titans WR Julio Jones didn’t miss a practice rep for the first time all season, which is a great sign. And is his sidekick AJ Brown about to get paid? pic.twitter.com/KY0G11Ya2B
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2022
Over the course of his first three seasons, Brown, a former second-round pick of the Titans, has emerged as one of the best and most explosive players at his position in the NFL.
He tallied back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, and would have had a third straight in 2021 if not for his missing four games.
To give you an idea of what Brown could possibly make, we can take a look at some of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL currently.
Dallas Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper has the highest total value in a contract among wideouts at $100 million, followed by the New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas at $96.25 million, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans at $82.5 million.
In terms of annual average, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is tops at $27.25 million, followed by Brown’s teammate, Julio Jones, at $22 million, and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Keenan Allen at $20 million.
Spotrac estimates Brown’s market value at a deal worth $64.6 million over four years, which works out to an annual average salary of $16.1 million. While the Titans would no doubt sign off on that deal, we tend to believe that’s low and Brown will garner around $20 million per at least.
We never had any doubt that the Titans would look to keep Brown around long term, but it’s good to have some confirmation of our expectation.
