NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans did the unthinkable. In Round 1 of Thursday's NFL Draft, Tennessee traded star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles.

That's a bold strategy, Cotton.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson knowingly or unknowingly upended his entire organization with the move. Tennessee sent Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for the 18th and 101st picks.

Robinson brought in Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks with the 18th selection and later traded out of their original selection of 26th overall. The pro comparison most often drawn to Burks by Draft media: A.J. Brown.

Unfortunately, for the Titans first-round rookie, his biggest moment was swallowed up in a fit of trade-based rage.

Trading Brown is a massive gamble

Brown is unquestionably the most talented receiver drafted by the Titans in franchise history.

Robinson's draft strategy this year was always going to be heavily scrutinized. This transaction brings their entire organization under an unwanted spotlight. An offense that needed a reset was never supposed to see its most important player moving forward jettisoned. The goal of the offseason was for quarterback Ryan Tannehill to improve his performance, but also for Tennessee to find ways to be great around him.

There is no way in which trading Brown away does anything but make the Titans discernibly worse.

"It was a tough one," Robinson said of sending his top wide receiver to the Eagles. "Really appreciate what A.J. (Brown) has done here for our football team on the field, in the community. We had discussions back and forth and really realized that we got to a spot where it was going to be hard to get a deal done."

Robinson said that the trade scenario manifested with Philadelphia in about 18-20 hours prior to the deal going down.

The receiver market this offseason has been complicated, to say the least.

Wide outs Marquise Brown, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Amari Cooper and Allen Robinson all found new homes this offseason in addition to Tennessee dealing Brown. The money spiked substantially around the position after the Jacksonville Jaguars gave Christian Kirk a four-year, $72 million deal last month in free agency.

The rest of the NFL followed suit, or made deals for their players at the position that had simply become too rich for the respective clubs' blood. Brown was promptly given a four-year, $100 million extension upon landing with the Eagles, making him the fourth-most expensive receiver in the NFL by average annual value.

According to ESPN's Dianna Russini, Brown wanted a massive contract extension from the Tennessee with a year left on his rookie contract. When that did not materialize, the receiver skipped voluntary workouts and stopped communicating with the team.

How are Titans players and staff handling the trade?

Not too well, publicly or privately.

Multiple people within the Titans organization questioned the trade immediately as the news broke. Star players like Jeffery Simmons and Kevin Byard reacted negatively to the news as it came across their social media timelines.

Then, there is Vrabel, who had gone above and beyond to foster a relationship and trust with Brown since drafting him in 2019.

Vrabel has worked tirelessly to support Brown as both a superior and a friend. Both have spoken on the closeness of their relationship, particularly in the wake of Brown's public struggle with mental health.

After the first round concluded, Vrabel echoed Robinson's sentiments on the trade being in the best interest of the team and the gulf that existed in contract negotiations. One could hardly blame him if he felt otherwise. On April 7, Vrabel joined the Rich Eisen Show and was asked about the possibility of Brown being on the trade block.

"Not as long as I'm the head coach," Vrabel responded. "I love A.J. professionally, personally. I've gotten to know him well as his coach and enjoy seeing him as much as I possibly can…As long as I'm the head coach here, I would want to have A.J. Brown on my football team."

On Thursday night, Vrabel felt like those words were being thrown back in his face by local media. That was not our intent.

It is fair to wonder, however, how the Tennessee locker room will react to the shockwaves that trading Brown away sent. How can one player have such public and genuine support from the head coach, and none of it matter in the end.

The market determines the individual's value, and Brown's situation is no different. We will see whether the generational wealth that follows is enough to give Brown what he seeks. The fact remains that there are no winners in Tennessee on this particular transaction, regardless of the justification.

As for Burks and the pressure on him already mounting, godspeed.

Featured Image: USA TODAY.