Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson called the decision to trade star receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles a "tough one".

Brown, 24, is one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL, and plays at a premier position, but Robinson indicated the franchise was not willing to pay him the contract he desired.

Despite his immense talent, Brown had the least productive season of his career in 2021 as he was restricted to 13 games, while the Titans opted to buck the league trend of increasing pass attempts, instead running the ball at a high rate.

Tennessee's number one target finished the season with 869 yards and five touchdowns from 63 catches – a career-low in yards and touchdowns.

Speaking to Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt after the first round, Robinson said it was a tough decision, but that Brown's contract demands were too much.

"The decision we made on A.J. Brown was a tough one," he said. "We appreciate everything he did on the team and in the community.

"We got to a spot where it was going to be hard to get a deal done… the gap [in contract extension value] was too big."

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said it was painful to part ways with a player he cares deeply about.

"I love A.J. Brown personally," he said. "We went to the extreme to keep A.J. Brown here. 

"I was involved in the entire process. It was a difficult one to get through, and the gap was big."

Speaking about Treylon Burks, whom they acquired with the 18th overall pick received in exchange for Brown, Vrabel said: "We liked Treylon Burks even when A.J. was on our roster."