NASHVILLE – The 2022 NFL Draft is now in the rear-view mirror.
And, yes, so are A.J. Brown's days with the Titans.
I received a ton of emails during and after the draft, mostly from folks expressing their opinions, or just venting.
So I'm going to let all of you air your thoughts out in here in the post-draft mailbag.
We'll get back to the Q and As on Saturday.
Here's the link to ask questions: CLICK HERE
John Cox from Camden, Arkansas
Comment: Told you all a couple of weeks ago about Treylon Burks. Glad the young man is a Titan! If he doesn't get hurt, he'll put up good numbers this year for the T-men. I hope all the other picks make the team and take us to the next level. I know the Colts won't be far behind us this year......
As far as A.J. Brown goes, honestly, I hate to see him go, but if he was a true team player he wouldn't have put the Titans team into a tough position like he did. They can't all be the highest paid player (by position) in the league. Good luck to him in Philly.
Joni Daniels from Antioch, Tennessee
Comment: I'm looking at the draft and literally can't believe my ears! I'm done trying to understand the rationale of the Titans organization. Mike Vrabel was quoted saying "As long as he is the head coach, A.J. Brown will be a Titan". So much for loyalty! Please explain to me the rationale for this trade to the Eagles? A.J. Brown was our #1 receiver! I honestly don't think I will continue to be a season ticket holder. This franchise honestly doesn't seem to know what the heck they are doing and forget about loyalty!
James Logan from Fayetteville, Tennessee
Comment: At first hearing about trading away Brown I was incensed.
How could the Titans trade away one of their finest value draft picks of this millennium and easily one of the best and most exciting players on their roster. After hearing the financial repercussions explanation, I stood down and accepted the difficult choice management had to make.
But trading out of the 26th pick when you could have chosen one of the possible top ten picks with Jermaine Johnson was shear lunacy. A move that borders on massive managerial malfeasance. Now I know how Tantalus felt waiting for that drink. I was so excited to see Johnson available to us that I could hardly believe it——and then to pass on him essentially netting a 63 and 169th pick versus a 101 was incomprehensible. Perhaps this type of action explains why the recent ESPN article ranking each team on draft prowess over the past ten years had the Titans slotted at number 29. Makes sense.
Colin Edris from Bristow, Oklahoma
Comment: I apologize for being so rude in the past but .. wtf are we doing trading AJ to move up a few picks to draft an unproven WR?! If this move doesn't immediately put us in the Superbowl this is a bust and we might as well start all over again, players, coach, GM... I have lost faith in EVERYTHING this team has worked on until they prove me me wrong, try to tell me I'm crazy.
Kev White from Salisbury, North Carolina
Comment: Hey Jim! I have more commentary than questions. I am completely satisfied with the drafting choices made here. The AJ Brown situation chafed me like a bad pair of boxers at first. He is an undeniable talent (when on the the field). But the moment he started that social media crap, it was time to ship him off somewhere. What's with that immature trend now with erasing your team from your social media account? That, to me, said he didn't want to be a Titan. Plus his asking price was way too high for a WR who has only played one full season (please correct me if I'm wrong). Anyway, I'm excited about Burks who plays with a physicality similar to AJ. And who didn't love the reaction of young Mr. Willis at being drafted by the Titans? That's the type of passion and humility that you want on the team. Im looking forward to watching these young men develop. Thanks for listening to my offseason vent. Have a good one, Jim!
Eli Decko from Youngwood, Pennsylvania
Comment: To say that my heart was broken on Thursday is an understatement. How do we trade arguably the greatest WR the Titans have ever had? Then to draft a WR with that pick is a silent message of, we aren't going to pay you anything but what we offer and if you don't like it there's the door. I'm not knocking Burks at all, he looks to be a good receiver, but the league chews up and spits out college receivers like it's cheap bubble gum. I'm not happy with AJ either because we all know that in the end the Agent works for the player, not the other way around and AJ could have done the right thing and taken the incentives. The rest of the draft, mind you I do like the Burks pick, was outstanding on paper. J Rob must be reading your mailbag cuz it looks like we got the haul most of us wanted. I said it earlier that McNair wasn't a good QB his first 4 years in the league and he ended up being an average passer with superior leadership. Willis in the 3rd with Tannehill starting is what I wish McNair could have had. Sure he sat for a tiny tiny bit, but Rd1 pick 3 has much heavier expectations that RD3 pick 86 right? Picking up ol Ronnie Boy in the second was such an "I've been there done that" " No Brainer" type pick I love it. But to me my favorite picks are Haskins and Delanie Walker...I mean Chig Okonkwo! I bet you thought something very similar when we drafted Chig as well. But Haskins single Handed beat my Buckeyes and he's a 6'2 230lb bruiser with better speed than Foreman had. 450+ touches and no fumbles!!!!! It's reload time in Nashville and if what I think the plan is comes to fruition then we are gonna be set if this pans out. Our Line loves having a Buckeye too. Have a good one Jim!
Warnis Hightower from Arcola, Texas
Comment: Hello Jim. Heard about the Titans trade of A.J. Brown to the Eagles. And I just can't believe it. A.J. was the only single real offensive threat that the Titans had. How can a team get rid of the likes of Brown and keep the likes of a Ryan Tannehill (who was in my opinion the worst quarterback in the South if not the AFC)? It seems to me that winning is not the foremost goal of this team. This has to be the worst move that the Titans has ever made. I don't see us winning the South or even making the playoffs this season. Yes, we had a very good record last year, but we squeaked by a lot of those games. And we lost a couple games to teams that everybody else was dominating. I blame all this on the decision making personnel. We just lost the best player on the Tennessee Titans team. THAT HURT!!!
Ryan Gilpatrick from Indianapolis, Indiana
Comment: Hey Jim. I suspect this week's mailbox is going to be filled with a lot of angry fans after the AJ Brown trade. Personally, I was okay with the move. Relying heavily on Burks year one is a risk, but every move made by every organization carries some level of risk. With that being said, we have Julio's money coming off the books on June 1st, and with AJ's cap hit now gone, do you think JRob will be in the market for another big time veteran player? Or perhaps just adding some depth guys after the draft?
Carol Thomas from Chattanooga, Tennessee
Comment: I think my head is about to explode right about now. I have only one question WHY in the world would they trade A.J. Brown for an untried rookie?? I've been reading all of the recent rumors that have been tweeted but I never thought they were anything more than rumors. I can only hope whoever made this decision knew more about this situation than we do. I can understand now why none of the pundits ever take the Titans seriously.
Howard Turner from Atlanta, Georgia
Comment: Waddup JDub!!!
This week has been quite the rollercoaster ride #Whewww
For JRob to kick things off with the trade nobody saw coming let me know he was ready to put in work. #AndBoyDidHe
After getting over the gut punch and sentimental feelings of losing the talent that is AJ Brown #ArthurJuanKenobi on day one,
I couldn't help but admire the surgical work that came out the war room to repair my broken heart. They answered every need adeptly IMO including my backfield workload question. #NewHorsemanOnDeck
As a fan I have absolutely no draft complaints. #AndThatsRare Not to mention stealing Malik, that felt like finding a shiny Benjamin in your couch cushions #Late3rdRoundAreYouSerious?
Now that I'm off the draft ride and have my bearings, I'm glad I waited in line for this one! #EntirelyWorthIt
Can't wait to see the finished product on the field.
Joe Arcudi from Merrimack, New Hampshire
Comment: Boy Jim. This one hurts. It has been forever since we have had a game changing WR. I realize AJ would have cost a lot to keep but boy he is pretty tough to replace. I can't imagine many fans are happy about this. ...Oh boy.
Bud Stein from Jacksonville, Florida
Comment: GM Jim. hope all is well. Bud in Jax in Jag country still a die hard Oiler /Titan fan. but not easy especially with trade of AJ . Now no AJ No Julio who is left that is really a threat? Robert Woods Autin Hooper? Cmon Man
This is hard to swallow and you know Im a big Marcus Mariotta fan. My favorite SAS on ESPN had the best take on this with his love affair with Tannehill NOT NOT NOT The Titans finally came to the reality Tannehill prefers to throw to the opposing team so they dont need receivers!!! Say what you want but hard to argue It seems it will just put more work load on King Henry which for the most part has been Tannehill's claim to fame. Playoffs Playoff!!! that famous quote.Seems like the road will be much tougher this year. Watch those Falcons this year seems like they are becoming titans 2 with coach and players, My best Jim. Respectfully, Bud
Stephen Fogg from Old Hickory, Tennessee
Comment: Hi Jim, I was just wondering If you knew which team they're planning to trade Derrick Henry to ?
Jordan Marbury from Birmingham, Alabama
Comment: Jim I think everyone missed the biggest loss in the draft. Let me explain...Every Titans expected JROB to get a WR in Rd1 or Rd3 to pair with AJ and Woods to make a 3 headed monster. AJ gets traded and we get Burks in return. Well thats okay except that still leaves us in the same situation as last year with a 2 headed monster.We should have gotten another WR in Rd2 or Rd3 while there was still great talent.The article from a few weeks ago saying that Farley was looking good/promising in the offseason was just propaganda it seems because why else would he draft a CB over our main need WR if that was the case? I really like McCreary but we could've gotten Tariq Woolen later on.We botched this draft, the Colts had an exceptional draft as always and we will feel it this season. Quote me on this.
Elden Neemia from Honolulu, Hawaii
Comment: Trade and Draft pick. kind of sucks to see AJ Brown traded but again, it's also good for him since his good friends with Jalen. They surely will do good together and give some serious competition in that division.
Kind of know we ain't paying him what he wants since Titans surely have an expensive QB. It's all down to money and that superbowl idea is starting to slip away and got me thinking a bid. All this means is coaches gotta work even more harder this coming season. Now with the picks, yep! i love the picks and very enthusiastic about these prospect just like i was with Simmons and Landry during their draft day.
I mean great pick for WR then CB and QB. This QB pick got me excited cause i see something that actually can push this team over that 1 and out play-off curse. With great planning and paying attention to details, it's really possible this season. Even if Baker comes to titan as a backup QB. I can see improvement cause good competition to Ryan always makes him better and what better person to do exactly just that is Baker (if that's still a possibility)
Suck to see AJ Brown traded BUT at the end; I surely want him to get paid what he worth and i suppose eagles just happen to provide that this moment. As long we still shoring up with CB from draft to help the backfield, i think we be alright.
Please no more Trading away any of the Top elites players and absolutely hands off our great defense GM; lol just kidding. Now i suppose i can relax and not take things seriously as a fan. Main thing is these players they get paid and As far as super bowl goes, well that can be put on side for now and just Chill and resumed when season start then we will visit that Super bowl Q. I think there can be a surprise this season. will just have to wait and feel out the season and if trade wind is favoring our side.
Dang, i could use some trade wind up in here, it's surely freezing up in here since this trade lol. Just kidding, the new WR pick is great. first thing comes to mind is Debo type of player then a bid of AJ type strength and plays but what really matters that He be himself. Make a name for himself. Make fan wanna buy his brand. Go get em.
Looking forward when all these new players excel to the point they too worth over 100's of $millions in guarantee money in 3yrs. Very possible if consider inflation and dollar strength, yep! that's how the value goes. Hope agent's and players aware of this too lol. Market value does matter and so is your Value. Am just happy players are getting paid what they worth and new rookies have doors open up for them to also make their value even worth on the plus side.
Jimmy Dee from Battle Ground, Washington
Comment: Jim, I guess you know what I'm writing about. It's sad to see AJ Brown go but I know the Titans had to do it. He sure is exciting on the field though. Ah well, he wanted more than the team could give him so everybody had to part company. They got a mid-1st and a late 3rd for him but I wish they could have gotten two 2nd round picks for him instead. Ah well!! It's done. I'm sure they got as much as they could for him.
Michael Miles from LaVergne, Tennessee
Comment: Hi Jim hope you had fun out in Vegas. Have the Titans higher ups given up on any thoughts of going to the Super Bowl? We get rid of the players that could get us there, A J BROWN mainly, and are going to depend on the rookie to replace him. It is hard to understand that when you pay as much as season tickets cost, they went up for the season headed our way, why do we get rid of speed we know we had and bring in a player to replace it. I am confused. Thanks and try to Titan up but it is not going to be easy right now.
Mike Tate from Chattanooga, Tennessee
Comment: WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO WHO's REFUNDING MY AJ Brown jersey??? Julio and AJ in the same year. @#?n idiots.
Doug Goldstein from Las Vegas, Nevada
Comment: Jim, I've been a Titan fan since day one in Tennessee. I think I'm done. It's so bizarre to think that after watching Titans football every week for the past 20 years, I have no reason to continue making the effort to support this team anymore.
CHEAP A$$ ORGANIZATION
I Should've bailed out when they screwed McNair.
Hopefully A.J will become a hall of famer and the Titans draft pick is a bust
Scott Taylor from Dayton, Ohio
Comment: Greetings Jim. Jim I sent a e-mail to you prior to this 1. And in that e-mail I apologized for the backlash from the A.J Brown trade and then using the pick they acquire for A.J and drafting a W.R. Treylon Burks. And the hate mail would probably increase if this young man doesn't hit it right away and make a ton of yards or catches etc. And then they draft a Q.B and I really can see it now. There's a lot of fan who are not big fans of. Ryan Tannehill as it is and they're going to be hollering for a switch now. and then there will be a lot of other fans who will be saying the same as soon as he starts to have a bad game or throws interceptions. Having said that I truly think we got a good draft. I truly hope that Treylon Burks (not burkes) like I believe I spelled it in the previous email has what it takes. I believe Daniel Jeremiah said that Treylon resemble is AJ Brown and his game and the yards after the catch ability. And that Q.B Malik Willis. Resemble Steve McNair in how he plays and can run make players miss and so on. Well again I will apologize up front for the backlash you have & are going to receive. Well Jim I want to thank you for the info you get to us out of state fans. stuck up here in Bengals & Browns country really can suck sometimes lol. And sincere condolences for the loss of your mother truly my heart go out to you. As always prayers for you and your family always. and here to hoping for a good season and a trip to the super bowl. Go TITANS.
Jason Petty from Lebanon, Tennessee
Comment: Please explain how trading AJ was a good/ smart move, made the team better, helped the team at all? Business or not it was STUPID. We heard all the speculation and crap from quite a few media outlets about AJ, yet the only thing said from JR is we want aj to be here a long time. Yet his action showed us differently. Everyone in the division has made strides to improve this off season and the Titans have not.
Greg Stauffer from Clarksville, Tennessee
Comment: Hey Jim, love your work, look forward to reading the Mailbag every Tuesday & Saturday. This is more of a statement than a question!
I love the JRob Trade of AJ. Brown. I think it is possible that Treylon Burks will be an upgrade over A.J. People forget A.J. missed 29% of the games last year. If Treylon is healthy, he will may put up better numbers than A.J. But even mor importantly we gain valuable draft capital. JRob has proven that in the later rounds he finds starters & contributors.
So I may tired of all the people crying about Losing A.J.! He was a really good player for the Titans. I suppose they would have preferred a disgruntled WR who they would most certainly lose and get nothing for! I think JRob did an outstanding job! Titan-up!
E.M. McFarland from San Diego, California
Comment: I guess the only thing worse than trading AJ Brown for almost nothing (compared to the haul the Chiefs got for T Hill) would be to let him walk away for free next year. Did this mean AJ Brown said he was not going to play this year unless he received a new contract? It seems some teems figure out a way to pay their stars. Really a tough pill to swallow. The Titans were already in need of at least one more high quality reciever to get to the next level
Fred Trotman from St. Louis, Missouri
Comment: All off season JRob and everyone talked about how much they wanted to keep AJ. Then to just trade him away. That's twice in 3 years they've proven to show disregard for their star players. The 1st one paying unreliable Ryan Tannehill a major contract before paying Derrick. This is disgusting. AJ Brown did have injury issues but his numbers would still be better if Tannehill didn't overthrown him bout 20 times last season including playoffs. I'm really disappointed. Titan Up everybody this hurts. We spent too much on Tannehill and we can't even afford to keep a key offensive player after losing good linemen. Hope this works out.
Eric Koehler from Las Vegas, Nevada
Comment: I understand the AJ Brown trade. I love the Burks pick. I also love the number of picks we have in day two and day three but I don't understand trading 26 at value. Everyone knew they were trading up for Jermaine Johnson who was a top 15 talent. Why not pick him at 26 and add to an amazing defense or at least ask for their 2nd and 3rd without giving the jets one of our 3rd round picks? The value of the pick position plus the perceived value of the top player on the board should have influenced the overall trade. Definitely could have negotiated better.
Paul Mahler from Rochester, New York
Comment: NO QUESTION JIM...JUST A PISSED OFF FORMER TITAN FAN . I WAS WITH THESE ?I&% FROM THE OILER DAYS...CANT BELIEVE THEY TRADED A.J. BROWN WTF IS WRONG WITH THIS TEAM.. THEY SUK AND WILL NEVER EVER EVER WIN A SUPERBOWL. HOW DO YOU FEEL WRITING ABOUT IDIOTS IN TIGHTS THROWING A PIECE OF LEATHER AND A BUNCH OF OLD *&%$! IN SUITS..HOW USELESS CAN YO U BE??????? ANYHOW FOOTBALL IS STUPID FREAKS IN TIGHTS OLD MEN IN SUITS AND FOOLS LIKE YOU WHO LIVE FOR STATISTICS OK . $%^! THE tITANS i HOPE THEY LOSE
John Hythom from Seattle, Washington
Comment: Stop me if I'm wrong Jim but isn't the goal to get better in the draft? There is no one alive that can say this team is better now. We seem to now be caught in between trying to squeeze one more chance out of this season before the rebuild. The window is in the process of slamming shut on this group. Without any significant speed or talent at WR (Booby Trees may not be ready by the start of the season -- and yet another Titan coming of serious injury) we will be forced to play "Fisher ball" and try to win a rock Fight with our defense. Let's face facts the AFC is absolutely loaded, and we will be playing a first-place schedule. This season as going to be tough anyway and now without AJ (I am a 40-year fan and we have NEVER had a WR with this talent and ability) I just don't see any chance we get out of the AFC......And I am actually predicting right now we will not make the playoffs. There are a lot of reasons we are where we are..... We several large contracts and we will need to pay big Jeff next year. It was going to be tough to pay AJ what he could get elsewhere..... The only thing I don't get is why not roll the dice this season with him under contract and see what happens. Maybe you tag him or can get a deal done next year. At least it would give this current roster one last chance to win this year. Now we seem to be a team trying to retool on the fly.
Brian Cutler from Plainfield, Connecticut
Comment: Hello Jim! I'm sure the mail bag is going to be full of AJ rants. My thought on this is JRob made a good choice here. AJ has been great for us but two years of injury's and missing time on the filed isn't worth the money. I rather us pay Simmons and pick up another WR.
Daniel McFall from Four Oaks, North Carolina
Comment: I won't be a part of all the hate this week, I have a feeling it's gonna be in this weeks mailbag. Thank you A.J. Brown for all the excitement you provided. Disappointed to see you go.
Henry Martin from Kingsville, Texas
Comment: Hello Jim!! First of all I just want to say "CONGRATS" to all of our new members!!! I am very excited for the upcoming season and beyond!
Even though we lost AJ, I get it, from both sides. You want to be paid but on the flip side "AVAILABILITY" is key. Which brings me back to the draft. Common theme of the players we drafted seemed to be good football players with 0 injury history........I LOVE IT!!!!
This seems like something we did last year with our defense. We released just about all of our corners, drafted two more and everyone panicked and Fulton ended being the corner the Titans envisioned him to be. So, fast forward and the same thing is happening on offense. Complete makeover. We still got some decisions to make at LG and RT
Joe White from Kingsport, Tennessee
Comment: I'm sure you are getting many angry posts, so I will try to not show my anger. It appears the team has given up on winning. We needed another receiver not to trade our number one! Now we have a number 2 coming off major injury and no number one. Another rookie who has the same number of NFL catches as you and me and not much else. Remember how great the rookie receivers from last year were. They were just plain bad. My question is simply this, how can we trust the team that told us A.J. is staying long term then trades him? I can't see this working out well at all. Window to compete now closed.
Jaden Brown from New Orleans, Louisiana
Comment: Hey jim, the draft was very bittersweet for a lot of titans fans. but it's time to move past that and focus on the future of the team.
Jim Williams from Lubbock, Texas
Comment: Hi Jim. JRob says that Malik Willis will have an opportunity to earn a spot on the team. Despite what some talking heads on ESPN have suggested, it doesn't look like there are any plans to have him eventually be the starting QB. Instead, it's more likely that Willis will be the Titans' version of Taysom Hill. He will play QB on the wildcat formation, work some at wide receiver, and be a running back on third and long situations. Willis would certainly give the opposing defense concerns with his elusiveness and ability to run, catch, or pass the football. This all hinges on his adaptability and being able to earn a spot on the roster.
Randy Porter from Hendersonville, Tennessee
Comment: Hi Jim hope all is well in your world. After one of the draft and the news of A.J., I know you were overrun with upset fans, needing to vent. Count me among them. I went from excited and confident, to deflated, sick and consumed with disbelief. Like many, I lost a lot of interest and excitement for the remaining draft and my visions for an even better season this year quickly dimmed. As fans looked forward to the anticipation for drafting top talent to key position needs, we instantly realized that would be replaced by the draft of a receiver, to lessen the loss of A.J. We were reminded of other top-tier receivers we let walk in the past, who now make highlight film wearing other colors. Add this to the utter confusion fans feel over the lack of urgency in this case and it makes it even harder to bear. With a year remaining on A.J. contract, it was impossible to imagine letting him go until we absolutely had to, if ever. Yet, we did just that and that #18 pick hardly came close to balancing the scales. To fans, a night that you hope advances the Titans forward, wound up taking us backward and had immediate effects on remaining draft picks. Most fans fully understand the salary cap restraints and the simple fact that there is little if any loyalty in the NFL, even with the Titans. It's always about the mighty dollar and little else matters at the end of the day. Still, fans are possessive of their players and sometimes pretend that their team is above this. Situations like this are a harsh reminder that it's a tough, money-based business, where players demand every dollar they can get and don't care about the jersey color and team management wants bargains. Unfortunately, bargains, greed and success seldom coexist. I'm not saying this decision was easy for anyone involved, and based on the insistence by Robinson and Vrabel that A.J. was NOT on the auction block, I have to believe that there is a lot more to this than it appears. Like all fans, I am heartbroken over this and my optimism for this season has been gut-punched. But, after a respectable pouting period, I'll remind myself that although losing A.J. is a serious loss of a critical player, that he's not the entire offense. No one player is. I'll remind myself of the leaps we've made on defense and that we had the best running back in the NFL. Ill remind myself of all the reasons I like our QB and always have. Then, I'll remind myself how much I love watching this team play and nothing will change that. And last, as much as fans are upset and hurt by this loss, I'll remind myself that it no one asks fans if they agree or like these moves and never will. You either support the team or not and if you don't like it... "Mailbag" ! Jim's always here for us. - Now, back to my pout.
Have a great week everyone!
