The Tennessee Titans are pinning their hopes on quarterback Cam Ward after selecting him first overall in last Thursday night's NFL Draft. While the fans' hope are up again in Nashville, the news of the Titans declining to pick up the fifth-year option on wide receiver Treylon Burks was a sobering reminder of how far the Titans have fallen after winning the AFC South with a 12-5 record and owning the No .1 seed in the AFC back in 2021. It's also been clear that they're ready to move on with how they've operated this offseason, adding multiple receivers to the roster.
On April 28, 2022, during the NFL Draft, the Titans traded wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for their 18th overall pick and a third-round pick. They used the 18th pick to select Burks, a promising wide receiver from Arkansas. His size and speed drew a comparison to Brown. The hope was that Burks would fill the void left by Brown and become a cornerstone of the Titans offense.
Declining Treylon Burks' option brings up Titans pain of AJ Brown trade
The trade occurred when then-head coach Mike Vrabel and then-general manager Jon Robinson butted heads over the direction of the club. Vrabel wanted more control over roster decisions. Nora Princiotti of The Ringer went on to detail what was happening inside the Titans' power struggle between two men. And the Brown trade was the center of their difference of opinion between the two men. Robinson wanted to start rebuilding by getting young, while Vrabel was not buying into that plan.
Since that trade, the Titans have gone downhill. Robinson was fired in December 2022 and was replaced by Rae Carthon, who was hired in January 2023. Vrabel was fired after going 13-21 from 2022-23. And Carthon was fired in January 2025 after just two seasons following a 3-14 disaster in 2024.
Even worse, Burks' tenure with the Titans has been marred by injuries and inconsistent performance. In his rookie season, Burks was placed on injured reserve due to turf toe and a concussion. Subsequent seasons saw him sidelined by an LCL sprain and a torn ACL. Over three seasons, Burks has managed only 53 receptions for 699 yards and one touchdown in his entire career.
Meanwhile, Brown has flourished with the Eagles. In his first season with Philadelphia, Brown broke the franchise record for receiving yards with 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1456 yards in 2023. He was rewarded with a three-year, $96 million extension last April. But despite a down year in 2024, and also showed frustrations on the sideline for lack of touches, he still led them to a Super Bowl 59 win.
Right now, the Titans' primary wide receivers are Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, who just signed as a free agent, and Van Jefferson, also a newcomer. They also drafted Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike to support Ward. It is not an inspiring set of receivers. There is a strong chance that Burks may not even make the Titans' roster when the team cuts its roster after the final preseason game.
This trade will undoubtedly linger and will be remembered for the chaos it caused inside the Titans organization as they begin their painful rebuild.