The 2025 season was supposed to be the season Treylon Burks finally explodes on the scene. The Tennessee Titans took a massive gamble in drafting him with the pick they got by trading A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles. After getting injured in training camp, the Titans finally decided to cut their losses, waiving Burks on Monday.
It’s an anti-climactic end to a tenure that was supposed to be all about results and being the top guy in the receiver room. Especially this year after the Titans drafted Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, it looked like things could be breaking right for Burks. Now, he’s just hoping to play again in the NFL; period. To say the Titans lost this trade is an understatement.
The guy they believed in is no longer on the team and the guy they sent away is a Super Bowl champion and a key player in the Eagles’ offense. There are always winners and losers in trade deals; sometimes it’s hard to determine which is which. This one is pretty clear cut: The Titans wasted three years and a draft pick.
NFL trade re-grade:
Tennessee Titans: D+
Philadelphia Eagles: A
Tennessee Titans regret A.J. Brown trade after Treylon Burks era ends
The Titans probably wish they had just paid A.J. Brown instead of relying on Burks to carry the receiver room. Burks had a horrible three years. His 2024 season was filled with injuries as he played in just five games. In his first two seasons, he never eclipsed 500 receiving yards and had one touchdown catch his rookie season.
The worst part about that trade, the Titans only got draft compensation, they didn’t even get a player swap in the deal. They used that pick to get Burks and it turned out to be a mistake.
Treylon Burks failed in Tennessee but there’s one team that could find value in him
The Tennessee Titans couldn’t make it work with Burks, but maybe another team could. Enter the Cleveland Browns? This seems about the only possibility for Burks to have an NFL career after his release from the Titans. The Browns need a receiver and Burks needs a lifeline. It's worth a shot if nothing else.
The Browns receiver room is so bad that adding a former first-round pick would at least feel better than doing nothing at all, even if it is Burks. At least Burks is still young enough to prove that he can be a decent receiver in the NFL.
Things didn’t work out in Tennessee, but that doesn’t mean this has to be the end of his NFL career. Maybe Cleveland will come calling, or someone else. Either way, the Titans learned from this situation and will always wonder what could have been if they were just patient with Brown like they were with Burks.