The four-year, $50 million contract the Tennessee Titans gave Derrick Henry was mostly well-received, but of course there are some detractors.
And one of those detractors is FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd, who believes the Titans shouldn’t have paid Henry what they did, citing the fact that 19 games isn’t enough to break the bank for the star rusher.
He also mentions Henry’s lack of involvement in the passing game and his short time as the team’s starter as other reasons.
The Titans didn’t exactly break the bank for Henry, who remains as the fifth-highest-paid back in the NFL with his new deal. It would have been a different story had he become the highest-paid player at his position.
What the Titans did do was lock up their best player, who is the heart and soul of the offense and can carry the team on his back on any given Sunday, to a reasonable contract for both sides.
There likely wouldn’t have been much criticism of the Titans had they simply franchise tagged Henry in 2020 and 2021 and not given him a long-term deal. Well, his contract has $25.5 million guaranteed, a shade under $3 million more than what he would have made under two tags.
Adding to that, the Titans were actually able to gain more cap space in 2020 with this extension, as Henry’s cap hit is $4 million less than the tag. This gives the team more wiggle room to spend money right away.
Tennessee can also get out of the contract rather easily after the second year. Henry’s deal carries dead cap figures of $6 million in 2022 and $3 million in 2023.
When you look at the details, the contract the Titans gave Henry is a win-win for both sides. In an age when paying running backs is a risky proposition, Tennessee did about as good as a team can do in this situation.
