Jarvis Brownlee’s jab at the Titans after game-sealing play for the Jets tells you everything you need to know about Tennessee’s confusing trade
When Tennessee Titans GM Mike Borgonzi traded Jarvis Brownlee—a starting outside cornerback on his roster—after Week 3 of the season, it caught everybody by surprise. Brownlee had all the makings of a draft hit. He was a Day 3 pick in 2024 who became a starter before the end of this rookie season. In the first two games of 2025, he led the team in tackles. He wasn’t perfect in coverage, with a reputation for too many penalties, but he was clearly a starter in this league.
The Titans decided to trade him to the New York Jets for a 6th/7th pick swap anyways. And following a comeback Week 8 win, the now-Jets cornerback took a swipe at his old team that tells you everything you need to know about what happened.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. ripped the Titans after Week 8
The trade didn’t make any sense from a value standpoint, not then and not now. Head Coach Brian Callahan was trotted out at the time to answer for the move that he didn’t make, which wasn’t clarifying in any way. Even Brownlee himself got to New York and told the media that he was surprised by the news, and wasn’t sure why he was traded.
And I believe him when he says that. I don’t think the reason for him being traded was highly performance-based, or based on a single event of any kind. I think he just wasn’t what Brinker and Borgonzi wanted for their team. He didn’t fit their vision, and his fit was so poor that they were willing to move him at just about any price. That part is crystal clear. And in this case, that’s not a recipe for winning the court of public opinion whether you were right to move him or not.
Even the most generous read, that he absolutely needed to go and if we were all privy to the intimate details behind the scenes then we would agree 100%, still means that those on the outside are going to see this as a definitive loss. And the Titans front office decided they were willing to live with that. They’re no fools, they know the value proposition they agreed to. This isn’t a case of a front office having no idea how the trade looks.
Meanwhile in New York, Brownlee is making plays. He broke up the final Bengals pass of the day to Ja’Marr Chase to seal the Jets’ comeback win in Week 8.
The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt shared this experience with Brownlee in the locker room afterwards on the “Jets Final Drive” show:
“So the locker room is wrapping up and Tom Rock and I from Newsday are kind of waiting to talk to Brownlee because he had that last play. He's the last one in the locker room. Everyone else in the media already left. He's like taking this time putting on his jewelry and stuff, which is kind of funny. But he asked at one point, he asked 'what time is it' and we say ‘it's like 4:57’ and he's like ‘oh great, so I still have time to go watch the Titans lose!’”
Is it telling that Brownlee harbors this hate in his heart, however playful, towards his former team? I think so. It also speaks to his ongoing confusion and betrayal surrounding the end of his time in Tennessee. Is it also funny and ironic to see him dunking on his former team being 1-7 the moment his current teams wins their way to 1-7? Absolutely.
Vikings Coach Sends Positive Message on Justin Jefferson’s Injury Recovery
“I think you saw a lot of leadership from [WR] Justin [Jefferson] at one of the harder times to really show it,” Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips told reporters on Thursday. “When you’re not practicing, when you’re not in there — he’s out there at practice, he’s encouraging the guys. There was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm just throughout the whole process.”
The Vikings’ All-Pro receiver has been dealing with a hamstring injury throughout all of training camp, dating back to July 25th. It’s been a slow process for him to get back up to speed, though we’re finally seeing some positive updates.
As recently as two days ago, there was concern Jefferson wouldn’t play in the Vikings’ season-opener against the Chicago Bears on Monday night. However, he wasn’t listed on the practice report on Thursday, indicating that he’s on track to play in Week 1.
Wes Phillips on Justin Jefferson’s Recovery and Mentality
“I was impressed,” Phillips said about Jefferson’s leadership and involvement. “Not that I didn’t expect that from Justin, but the level of it throughout the time that he was out. And then you have a hard time not glancing over on that other field when he was getting going and running routes.”
“A lot of…my eye, the non-medical eye…I’m not Dr. Phillips, no matter what I’ve been called before by some of you,” Phillips joked with the assembled media members. “But I felt this with [Vikings TE] T.J. [Hockenson] last year, when he was rehabbing. You look at these guys sometimes, these kind of elite athletes out there on the field, and it’s like: he’s ready. Right? Like, can he be out there today? They say, ‘No, he’s got two weeks left,’ or you know ‘He’s got this much time and we’re gonna stay on this plan.’ But he was working extremely, extremely hard. He looks great. So I’m excited about the year for him.”
Justin Jefferson is the Most Important Player on the Minnesota Vikings
In his five years in the league, Jefferson only dipped below 1,400 receiving yards once: that was in 2023, when he only played 10 games, and he still had 1,074 that season. He’s amazingly consistent, rising above poor quarterback play at times to make an impact.
With the Vikings’ No. 2 receiver, Jordan Addison, set to miss the first three games of the season with a suspension, Jefferson’s importance to the offense is only highlighted even more. Minnesota traded for WR Adam Thielen last week, reuniting him with the franchise where he built a legendary career, but no one can do what Jefferson can in this offense.
He’ll carry the torch for the Vikings once again, this time with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy running the show. McCarthy missed all of his rookie season with an injury, so this will be his first NFL start. It is imperative that Jefferson plays to give the young quarterback all the help he needs.
