Philadelphia — The Eagles rocked the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday with a big business deal, taking star A.J. Brown of the Tennessee Titans ranked 18th and 101st overall.
Sources at ESPN's Kimberly Martin reported that Brown, who was looking for a new deal, has agreed to a four-year, $100 million deal with Eagles that includes a $57 million guarantee.
Brown, 24, was entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Titans and was expected to earn a base salary of just under $4 million in 2022.
"It wasn't my fault," Brown told ESPN's Toron Davenport. "I wanted to stay, but the deal they came up with was a low bid."
The Giants, who have repeatedly said they would not consider trading Brown, used the 18th pick on the Arkansas Trilon Burkes receiver.
"Ultimately, we have to make tough decisions," Titans general manager John Robinson said. "And a lot of things affect those decisions. Of course, money influences decisions and we try to get value when we can. And that's the decision we made today."
"Personally, I like AJ, but I'm very happy with the way he turned out and how John and I were able to handle it," Titans coach Mike Frabel said. "I try to support him and make decisions. Unfortunately, we understand that if we stay here for a while, we won't be able to keep all the players we're recruiting and developing."
Brown fired 63 times for 869 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games last season. He broke the 1,000-yard mark in each of his two seasons, including a 70-yard, 1,075 yard mark in 2020 when he had the 11th best touchdown of his career.
In Philadelphia, Brown will pair up with DeVonta Smith, last year's 10th overall pick, to complete what promises to be an impressive duo for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
"We are very excited to have [Brown] on this team," Eagles coach Nick Siriani said. "He's a tough guy, he's quick to deal with a big guy and he takes care of everything. There are no expectations. I've seen him do that in the NFL for three years."
The Eagles' Super Bowl odds dropped from 50/1 to 40/1 at Caesars Sportsbook after the deal. Philadelphia also went from 1/20 to 18/1 to take the NFC and +325 to win the NFC East at Caesars.
“We are very pleased to understand how [Ceriani] used him and his encounter with AJ Brown in this attack and how he complements the other players we have here,” said Eagles coach Howie Rosman. "As you may or may not know, his relationship with our midfielder is exciting. We can't wait to bring him to Philadelphia."
The acquisition of Brown was the Eagles' second deal of the night. Minutes earlier, they moved into the 13th pick to pick Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, the 6-foot-6, 340-pound anchor to defend the Bulldog Championship.
The Eagles sent total shots 15, 124, 162 and 166 to the Houston Texans for Davis, who caused a stir in the poll pool with an impressive athletic display that included 4.78 seconds from 40 yards, 40 times faster for a 325-pound weight. Or more. A player in the group since at least 2006, according to ESPN Statistics and Information Research.
Davis played 32 tackles (five for a loss) and Shailene in 14 games last season with the Bulldogs. He played only 38% of Georgia defensive shots in 2021 and was primarily a two-chamber player, playing only 16% of third-place shots. This raised questions in the draft about whether Davis was looking for filler.
The Eagles thought he could also be an effective striker and left him off the field due to Georgia's incredible talent.
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