After touching on some of the worst contracts Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson has handed out during his tenure, we decided to take a look at some of the best.
And there are plenty.
Here’s a look at the best contracts Robinson has been responsible for during his time with the Titans.
Ben Jones | C
Contracts: Four years, $17.5 million (2016)/Two years, $13.5 million (2019)
Jones was one of the first signings Robinson made after taking over as general manager, and it has certainly paid dividends.
Jones has given the Titans stellar play up the middle and has provided stability after having started in all but one game during his four-year tenure.
Prior to the 2019 campaign, Robinson decided to avoid letting Jones hit free agency in 2020 by locking him up to a two-year extension. Jones proved the Titans’ GM made the right move once again after posting his best season as a pro despite the offensive line struggling around him early on.
According to PFF, Jones’ 2019 overall grade of 77.2, which was the best of his career, was third among qualifying centers and he was one of just four players at his position who logged a minimum of 250 pass-blocking snaps and allowed a pressure rate under two percent.
Rishard Matthews | WR
Contract: Three years, $17.5 million (2016)
After inheriting a young franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota upon his arrival in Nashville, Robinson realized he needed to surround him with some talent in the receiving corps.
So he inked Matthews, who showed a ton of promise in 2015 with 662 receiving yards and four touchdowns in just 11 games with the Miami Dolphins and their quarterback, Ryan Tannehill (we know that guy!).
While Matthews eventually went off the deep end in the third year of the deal, Robinson did get two good seasons out of the receiver. In 2016, Matthews finished with a career-high 945 yards and nine scores, and in 2017 he totaled 795 yards and four touchdowns.
Logan Ryan | CB
Contract: Three years, $30 million (2017)
When the Titans signed Ryan to a three-year deal in 2017, he was one of the best available free-agent corners and the team had a desperate need for help in its secondary.
Ryan went on to become a staple on the Titans’ defense over three seasons and accomplished what he set out to do: leave the team in a better position than it was when he got there.
The veteran was solid in coverage, elite when asked to blitz, and he provided a great locker room presence and leadership. If that wasn’t enough, Ryan was also active in the local community and was always a model citizen.
Clearly Robinson no longer thought Ryan was worth what he originally paid him and that’s fine, but there’s no arguing that Ryan earned every penny of his contract and helped turn this franchise around.
Taylor Lewan | LT
Contract: Five years, $80 million (2018)
It’s hard to find an elite left tackle in the NFL today, so when you have one like Lewan, you lock him up — and that’s exactly what Robinson did.
Sure, there have been some hiccups along the way (like the start of his 2019 season), but Lewan has emerged as one of the premier left tackles in the sport during his career.
After getting off to a rocky start last season because of a suspension, and several game-breaking penalties upon his return, Lewan rounded back into form as the anchor of the Titans’ O-line.
Since 2016, Lewan is one of only two tackles to post top-10 Pro Football Focus grades in both run and pass blocking, along with Trent Williams.
Kenny Vaccaro | S
Contract: One year, $1.48 million (2018)/Four years, $26 million (2019)
Robinson really stumbled into Vaccaro, as the Titans’ GM needed to fill a last-minute void in 2018 after fellow safety, Johnathan Cyprien, suffered a torn ACL prior to the start of the season.
Not only did Vaccaro step in and do a great job, he provided an upgrade over Cyprien and eventually made him expendable. The safety has been a big part of the Titans’ defensive resurgence in recent years.
That led to the Titans inking Vaccaro to a four-year extension worth $26 million that also looks like a bargain when you consider it’s very similar to Cyprien’s old deal.
Vaccaro continued his solid play in 2019 and has now formed one of the best safety duos in the NFL with Kevin Byard.
Kevin Byard | S
Contract: Five years, $70.5 million (2019)
Robinson knew he had arguably the best safety in the NFL in Byard, so he did the right thing in 2019 and signed him to what was the richest contract in NFL history for a safety at the time.
Not only has Byard become one of the best players at his position, he is also a leader for the Titans and is one of the faces of the franchise. Since 2017, nobody in the NFL has more interceptions than the ball-hawking safety.
With multiple veterans having recently departed who were previously leaders on this team, Byard is going to have to step up even more in 2020. Thankfully, he’s already shown he can do that and then some.
Ryan Tannehill | QB
Contract: One year, $7 million (2019)
While we’ll have to wait and see if Tannehill will meet the expectations of his new four-year, $118 million extension, there’s no doubt he played well above what the Titans were paying him in 2019.
After pulling the trigger on a trade with the Dolphins for Tannehill, the Titans signed the quarterback to a one-year, $7 million deal, with the value able to reach as high as $12 million with incentives.
Bear in mind that Miami was on the hook for $5 million of that and had to surrender a sixth-round pick in the deal, also.
Tannehill went on to elevate the Titans’ offense to new heights. He finished first in passer rating and yards per completion, second in completion percentage, and he helped turn the team around en route to the playoffs after a 2-4 start. Oh, and he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
With the way Tannehill changed this franchise, the trade for the quarterback and the first contract he signed upon arriving in Nashville could go down as the best moves of the Robinson era.
Hopefully his second contract will be equally fruitful.
Rodger Saffold | LG
Contract: Four years, $44 million
With a desperate need on the interior of the offensive line, Robinson went ahead and paid Saffold in 2019, which at first looked like a mistake.
At one point, Saffold was public enemy No. 1, as it seemed he was routinely getting blown up by opposing defensive linemen. From about Week 6 or so on, Saffold began to elevate his play and was one-fifth of a dominant run-blocking offensive line.
Together with Lewan, who admitted he and Saffold needed some time to get on the same page in 2019, the Titans have arguably one of the best left sides of an offensive line in the sport. With a full year under his belt playing with Lewan and in the Titans’ offense, Saffold should be even better in 2020.
We might be jumping the gun in naming this one of the best contracts Robinson has handed out during his tenure after just one season, but that’s how good Saffold was in the second half of last year.
