Not long after the Tennessee Titans sort out this year’s salary cap issues as they pertain to the team’s free agents, general manager Jon Robinson will have to shift his attention toward keeping another important player.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he’s set to come at a very reasonable $4.5 million cap hit next year.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the Titans GM indicated that the two sides have begun “preliminary talks,” but there is still more work to be done.
After posting back-to-back 1,000-yard-plus seasons in 2019 and 2020, the Ole Miss product was limited to 13 games in 2021. That said, he hauled in 63 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
.@Titans GM Jon Robinson: Extension talks with receiver A.J. Brown very preliminary. Will get to it more at some point.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) March 2, 2022
He also had a critical touchdown catch in the AFC divisional round matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, tying the score in the closing seconds of the third quarter, once again proving just how valuable he is to the team..
Brown has led the Titans in receiving yards in each of the last three seasons.
Spotrac projects the Starkville, Mississippi native to fetch a four-year deal worth $69.2 million ($17.3 million annually), putting him up in line with Cooper Kupp, Kenny Golladay, and Amari Cooper-like money.
Robinson also made it sound like he would like to keep the offensive line intact next season, but notes there are some financial things to work on.
The next two seasons figure to be tough financially, but some contracts will start to come off the books following the 2023 season.