Big time day in free agency updates yesterday. I guess, it’s not official official…it’s just kinda official. “Legal tampering” and what have you. But, the Tennessee Titans were rather active, and I gotta say…I think they’re off to a great start.
First, news dropped that the Titans had reached an agreement with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Four years. $118 million. So much for all of that Tom Brady talk. I feel for those of y’all that actually went to a sports book and put your money down on the G.O.A.T. coming to the Titans. Tannehill was the move all along, and rightfully so. The man was the highest rated passer in the NFL in 2019. Besides any statistical measure, just looking at the eye test. This Titans offense was completely different when he was at the helm.
Here’s more numbers on Ryan Tannehill’s deal, per source:
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 15, 2020
2020 is $17.5m fully guaranteed.
2021 is $24.5m fully guaranteed.
2022 is $29m guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed on 5th day of 2021 league year.
2023 is $27.5m base.
So, the contract is structured in a way that the average of the first two years of the contract is just $21M. That’s a genius move on Jon Robinson’s part. So, Tannehill is taken care of and gets adequate time to prove whether 2019 was a fluke or not. And, the Titans can get out of the deal if they need to in a couple of years.
I see a lot of people being critical of this deal because “all Tannehill did was hand the ball off to Henry.” Maybe that’s true in the postseason, but y’all clearly didn’t watch the Titans throughout the regular season. The biggest reason this team even made it to the playoffs is because they made the switch to Tannehill during that awful game against the Denver Broncos. The Titans had one of the best offenses in the entire NFL while Tannehill was starting.
Locking him up is the only move that made sense, so I’m happy to see that common sense prevailed here.
But, that’s not where the news stopped. The team also announced that they were placing the franchise tag on running back Derrick Henry.
#Titans place franchise tag on Derrick Henry
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) March 16, 2020
Details » https://t.co/UhJkoarWbD pic.twitter.com/8vNwwPC46e
One of the key cogs on the Titans offense, Henry’s return is imperative for the success of this franchise moving forward.
I thought he deserved a big payday, and at least a three-year contract. But, I can certainly understand the business reasons for slapping the tag on El Tractorcito. And, who knows? Maybe both parties do work out a long-term deal before this whole offseason is over with.
Regardless, bringing these two back was absolutely the move. Whether or not they get the respect they deserve, this is absolutely a Super Bowl contender with its nucleus intact.
The Titans did let Jack Conklin walk in free agency, though. Conklin will head to the Cleveland Browns, for whom he signed a three-year, $42M deal. Honestly, kinda surprised by that. I thought he was going to get around $100M based on some of the other deals we saw trickle out. That’s about half of what I thought his contract would be worth. Missed that one, huh? AND he has to go to Cleveland? Yikes.
That instantly made signing Dennis Kelly a priority, just as we thought it would on the latest episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast. The Titans understood the situation, and did just that. Now, Kelly has a real shot at being the starting right tackle in 2020, and this unit probably won’t even miss a beat because of it.
I thought they would be most active in trying to lock down their “in-house” free agents, and that’s been the case so far. I still wouldn’t be surprised to see them reach a deal with a big time edge rusher, though.
Regardless, it’s “so far, so good” for the Titans in free agency.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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