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VOL. 44 | NO. 7 | Friday, February 14, 2020
Titans have enough cap room to sign Henry, Tannehill, more
By Terry McCormick
The two biggest questions the Tennessee Titans face as they head into the offseason are their plans are for running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Both are likely to be signed to contract extensions. If that fails, the Titans have both the franchise tag and the transition tag at their disposal to keep them on the roster.
Henry is a rare case of a rare running back who is worth a second contract.
As for Tannehill, there are still whispers that the Titans would pursue Tom Brady or Philip Rivers, if the asking price got too high on Tannehill. But the best bet would seem to be Tannehill staying in a situation where the offense fits him, with the chance to again make a deep playoff push if things fall right.
Spotrac.com, which keeps up with such things down to the penny, it seems, the Titans are $48 million-plus under the salary cap, which means they should be able to lock up Henry and/or Tannehill. They could get creative and also extend the contracts of free agents Jack Conklin and Logan Ryan.
Should the Titans need extra money to be able to pursue outside free agents or simply to tidy up the roster with more cap space, there are some obvious places they can find it.
For instance, veteran outside linebacker Cameron Wake signed a three-year deal, but it essentially reverts back to a one-year situation if the Titans are so inclined (and they likely will be). Wake is due a $5.5 million base for 2020 and has a $1.4 million roster bonus tied to that.
It would be nice for Delanie Walker to get healthy and be part of a Titans team on the ascent. After so many years of being the best player on some terrible Titans teams, it would be good if Walker could somehow be salvaged. But, if he is, it likely won’t be for the $5.4 million base and $1 million-plus roster bonus he is due in 2020.
General manager Jon Robinson also is likely to move on from a favorite of his, Dion Lewis, whose $4.3 million base is difficult to justify with Derrick Henry needing to be paid.
This offseason is an interesting one for the Titans as they try to keep their own stars and find the money and the right personnel to upgrade a solid playoff team into a Super Bowl team.