Derrick Henry admits he was "mad, hurt, shocked" by Titans' bizarre decision in 2022

Derrick Henry is undoubtedly the face of the Tennessee Titans. No matter the situation, the offense can count on him to keep them alive in games. So, when the Titans make a big decision, one would imagine that the star running back would be given a 'heads up'. But that apparently isn't the case.

In a recent interview on the 'Bussin With the Boys' podcast, Derrick Henry spoke about his reaction to wide receiver AJ Brown being traded. He said he was completely caught off guard by the trade. Henry also said that he thought the two of them worked well in tandem on the offense.

"I was mad. I'm just like, 'What's going on? We couldn't get it worked out? We traded him.' I thought my little brother. I mean we was a tandem. You know, I was just like, 'man, I was hot.' I was with him on the phone, because I was just like, 'man, nobody expected that.' What? AJ? Our proven receiver? So I was, I mean, I was kind of, I was shocked. I was hurt."

Derrick Henry then said that he expected the Tennessee Titans to give Brown a massive extension to keep him on the team. But, after awaiting the news, he said it was "wild" to hear that the Titans had actually traded Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I ain't thinking it will happen. I was waiting for him to come out, AJ Bown sign $100 million with the Titans. I was like on that. Yeah, I was literally, I was walking in the room when it said AJ Brown traded to the Eagles. I was almost like 'What?' I was like, 'Oh, that was wild.'"

While he was shocked that the Tennessee Titans willingly traded away their number one wide receiver, Derrick Henry did give credit to the receiving core this season. He said that they did a tremendous job and that he was impressed, especially with rookie Treylon Burks.

Henry added that it was hard for the receivers to try and live up to what Brown did with the Titans, but they all gave their best and did well.

"But I will say to guys who played receiver this year. They did a great job and it was tough. Especially being you know, first year with Rob and Treylon being a rookie and then Nick. You know, he's been here going on, year three. He's been solid for us. They did the best job they could man, and they tried to try to fill in and make plays for us. It ain't always easy.

"It's never gonna go the way we want it to go and, you know, hats off to them. You know, because trying to replace somebody like AJ who just wrote a single season record for the Eagles. And then going crazy. It's hard to try to replace somebody like that and living in their shadow. That's tough for anybody but I thought they tried to do the best that they could."

The former Alabama standout then went on to say that he would never leave anybody hanging. Derrick Henry added that he believes the Tennessee Titans did their best this year with what they had.

"I'm not the type of teammate to leave anybody hanging. It's hard in this league, you know, and, anything can happen and, you know, injuries happen and guys got to step up and gotta make plays. And you know, AJ was a big-time player for us. And then you end up in another team and other guys got to step up and I felt they tried to do the best that they could."

Whether the Tennessee Titans decide to use this offseason to bolster their offense remains to be seen. But Henry and company will need a boost if they want to claim the AFC South once again.

How long has Derrick Henry been in the NFL?

Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Henry was a standout for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the 2015 National Championship and coveted Heisman the same year.

Since beginning his NFL career, the running back has continued with his dominant rushing performances. He was the rushing leader in 2019 and 2020 and also led the league in rushing touchdowns that same year.

In seven NFL seasons, Derrick Henry has rushed for over 8,000 yards, 78 rushing touchdowns, over 1,200 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions.