The NFL deadline for teams picking up fifth-year options on 2022 rookies was Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. One player whose option did not get picked up was receiver Treylon Burks by the Tennessee Titans.
Burks, 25, was the Titans’ first-round pick (No. 18 overall). Tennessee acquired that selection (and a third-rounder) by trading A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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That trade already looked bad for the Titans with Brown going on to have three outstanding seasons for the Eagles, including grabbing 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023. Brown also went to two Super Bowls and won a championship last season.
Declining Burks’ fifth-year option essentially puts a cap on that unfavorable deal for the Titans.
Philadelphia signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million extension upon trading for him and he’s compiled 261 catches for 4,031 yards and 25 touchdowns in an Eagles uniform. Last year, he agreed to another extension — a three-year, $96 million package — that made him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL at the time.
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Burks was supposed to be Brown’s replacement and looked suited for that role as a big receiver at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. As a junior for Arkansas, he made 66 catches for 1,104 yards and 11 TDs, while rushing for another 112 yards and a score.
As a rookie, Burks showed promise but was limited to 11 games with a turf toe injury and a concussion. Burks finished with 33 catches for 444 yards and a TD, adding 47 yards rushing on four carries. Injuries limited him in his second season as well after he sustained a sprained LCL in his left knee during training camp and later suffered another concussion. He caught 16 passes for 221 yards in 2023.
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Burks began last season fourth on the Titans’ depth chart at receiver. He sustained a knee injury during practice before Week 7 that eventually required surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. As a result, Burks played in only five games (starting two) with four catches for 34 yards.
Earlier in the week, Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker was asked if the team would pick up Burks’ fifth-year option and he replied, “Probably not.” That became official Thursday.
While Burks is signed through the 2025 season, he might not be recovered from his knee surgery in time for training camp.
“He’s got to come in and make some plays,” Titans head coach Brian Callahan told TitanInsider.com. “I think he’s always had the ability and he’s shown flashes of it, but we’re just looking for the consistency to show up when it’s time to show up.”
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In the meantime, Tennessee signed free-agent receivers Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson, then selected wideouts Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The team also signed Xavier Restrepo, a teammate of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at Miami, as an undrafted free agent.
Yahoo Sports draft analyst Nate Tice gave the Titans’ draft class a B+ grade. Tice noted that their most interesting draft pick was Ayomanor out of Stanford. Tice wrote:
Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan might like Ayomanor’s film more than anyone else in the building. Ayomanor is a dominant and competitive blocker on the outside who has inside-and-out versatility. He’s a big-body receiver who plays big with and without the ball in his hands. He has the strength and ramp-up speed to win vertically and gain yards after the catch, but suffers from drops. Ayomanor is a useful player whose game fits on any type of team. His blocking and all-around solidness will help him see the field early in Tennessee.
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