The Tennessee Titans have agreed to an extension with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, according to multiple reports. Apparently, the Titans are ready to commit to Tannehill for the foreseeable future, for better or (more likely) for worse.
They inked a four-year deal worth up to $118 million, per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. These nominal figures don’t always tell the whole story of the contract. The reality of Tannehill’s deal is that it’s closer to a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option. Over the first three years, he will make $71 million in guaranteed money. In the fourth year, he’ll be due $27.5 million in base salary.
It’s a huge deal, which could quickly prove to be a huge mistake. Tannehill got hot for 10 games to finish the regular season, with a 70.3 completion percentage, 2,742 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Surely, the Titans anticipate he can maintain that high level of play. But if he cannot — much like Blake Bortles and Nick Foles did not — then Tannehill’s deal could deliver three years of misery in Tennessee. It seemed like a franchise tag would be a safer play. Because it was such a huge risk, NFL fans roasted the Titans on Twitter.
The Titans seem interested in placing the franchise tag on Derrick Henry for 2020, which essentially puts him on a one-year, $12 million deal. The Titans want to run back the clock to do what they did in 2019. It’s just that they want to pay their key players significantly more than they did in 2019.
What could go wrong?
