While NFL teams are currently building their roster through free agency and planning for the upcoming NFL draft, they’re not only preparing for the 2025 season. They’re also making sure they’re built to compete down the line as well.
In just over a month, every team that selected a player in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft will have to decide whether or not to pick up a fifth-year option for that player for the 2026 season.
The Tennessee Titans had one first-round selection in 2022 – wide receiver Treylon Burks. Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker recently predicted that the Titans will turn down Burks’ option this offseason and allow him to hit free agency at the end of the year.
Burks, 25, was the 18th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Arkansas, where he played from 2019-21 and earned All-SEC honors in all three seasons as a Razorback.
Tennessee selected Burks with the pick they got from the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver A.J. Brown. However, Burks hasn’t lived up to expectations. Over his three professional seasons, he’s played in just 27 games, catching 53 passes for 699 yards and one touchdown.
Last season, Burks missed significant time due to a torn ACL, limiting him to just four catches for 34 yards in five games. He hasn’t played enough snaps in 2023 or 2024 to qualify for a Pro Football Focus grade, but in 2022, he earned a 74.1 overall grade (No. 29 out of 92 qualified receivers).
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If Tennessee were to pick up Burks’ fifth-year option, it’d be worth $15.49 million in 2026 and could jump up to $21.44 million if he makes the Pro Bowl this year.
The Titans would just be better off figuring out their quarterback situation first, as that certainly hasn’t helped any of their wide receivers in recent years. Then, they should take another young wideout in the 2025 or 2026 draft or acquire a veteran through a trade or free agency.
They’d have a much better chance at success on the offensive side of the ball than if they put more eggs into Burks’ basket.
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