After months of uncertainty, San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel got the extension he was looking for. On Sunday night, the 26-year-old agreed to a three-year, $71.55 million deal that could reach $73.5 million and includes $58.1 million guaranteed. He was the latest player to cash in on the exploding receiver market, as nine of the 10 highest-paid receivers signed their deals this offseason.
AJ Brown was one of the recipients to receive a visit from the Brink’s truck this summer when he signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, he was unable to strike a deal with the team that drafted him in the Tennessee Titans and was traded on the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft before he could get the money he wanted.
From the 2019 draft class, Brown and Samuel were two of four tight ends to get paid this offseason — the others being DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks and Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders. Brown observed that he was the only one of the four who had to be traded to get paid; something he wanted everyone else to realize as well. Hours after the news of Samuel’s extension broke, he tweeted this:
“Basically all 4 of us got the same contract and I’m the only one who got traded…yeah keep believing it was me. Anywho Go Birds #CarryOn.”
While guaranteed money and years vary in all deals, Brown is pretty close to right when he talks about average money per year. In terms of AAV, Brown is the No. 5 highest-paid receiver, Metcalf is tied for No. 6, Samuel is No. 8 and McLaurin is No. 9, according to Over The Cap.
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Brown has long maintained that it was not his choice to leave the Titans. The night he was traded, he even took to Twitter to say goodbye to Tennessee, adding “IT WASN’T MY FAULT” before deleting the message.
It’s curious why the Browns and Titans couldn’t meet in the middle of an extension. Brown told ESPN that Tennessee can’t come up with an offer worth $20 million a year. However, ESPN’s Diana Rusini reported that the Titans’ offer was more than that. While Brown said he wanted to stay in Nashville, Rusini reported that Brown actually asked for a trade and asked the Titans for guaranteed money close to a whopping $80 million. That figure was also reported by ESPN’s Turron Davenport and SI’s John Glennon. Brown’s new deal with the Eagles includes $57 million guaranteed.
All in all, it sounded like the Titans, Brown’s representatives and Brown himself weren’t on the same page in negotiations. This probably won’t be the last time Brown boos his former team. In fact, the Titans and Eagles face off this year on December 4th.
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