This Time, Jayon Brown Leaves in Free Agency

The inside linebacker agrees to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders after five seasons with Tennessee.

On paper, the contract Jayon Brown signed with the Tennessee Titans last year was for three years.

The reality is that it was a one-year deal because the last two were voidable years designed to help the team negotiate salary cap issues.

Thus, for the second time in as many years the veteran inside linebacker became a free agent when the new league year commenced. This time, he moved on.

The Las Vegas Raiders announced Thursday that they have signed Brown, a starter for most of the past four years. However, he ended his time with the Titans as a backup following the emergence of David Long and the late addition last season of Zach Cunningham. He was a healthy scratch for the regular season finale against Houston.

Terms of his pact with the Raiders were not immediately available but given that it is more than a week into the signing period and teams have not rushed to sign inside linebackers, it is clear that he did not break the bank or even cash in as he hoped.

“I do know my value,” Brown said after he re-signed with the Titans last year. “… I see a lot of guys took one-year deals knowing the TV money about to get renewed, and there’s going to be better opportunities for free agency (in 2022). … When the opportunity comes for the big bucks, I will definitely be there.”

Brown (6-foot, 226 pounds) was one of the fastest linebackers available in the 2017 NFL Draft, when the Titans selected him in the fifth round. Initially, he was a pass defense specialist because of his ability to matchup with running backs and tight ends. He became a starter midway through his second season and remained in that role until Long passed him up, beginning with the final six games of 2020 when he was on injured reserve with a fractured elbow.

In five seasons with the Titans, he appeared in 66 games (39 starts), made 422 tackles, notched 9.5 sacks, broke up 30 passes, intercepted four passes, forced four fumbles and recovered three fumbles. Twice (2018, 2019), he topped 100 tackles in a season.

Brown is the second member of the 2021 Titans defense to joined with the Raiders this week. On Tuesday, defensive lineman Kyle Peko agreed to a deal of his own.