Just because right tackle Jack Conklin moved on to another team in free agency doesn’t mean the Tennessee Titans didn’t want him back.
Conklin agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns on Monday with a deal that will pay him $42 million over three years, with $30 million guaranteed. The first year of that deal will pay him $20 million.
According to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online in his Tuesday mailbag, the team wanted to bring the 25-year-old back, but the Browns’ offer appears to have been too rich for the Titans’ blood.
“The Titans wanted Conklin back, but as I suspected he was offered a boatload by another team in free agency (the Browns), and it priced Tennessee out.”
Some experts were estimating that a new contract for Conklin could make him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the sport, but clearly that did not happen here.
Instead, this deal seems pretty reasonable on the surface because of its short length — and that has left some Titans fans wondering why the team wasn’t willing to match it.
The most likely explanation is that the Titans had an issue with the first-year money (speculation on my part). Giving Conklin that much money in year one would have seriously hampered Tennessee in free agency.
The goal of not bringing back Conklin and instead opting for the cheaper Kelly, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal on Monday, could mean that Tennessee is trying to make a splash in free agency, namely for a pass-rusher.
As it stands now, Tennessee has between $28-$29 million to spend, leaving them in prime position to land either Dante Fowler or Jadeveon Clowney, the two biggest pass-rushers available on the open market.
There was also a rumor that the Titans were interested in defensive lineman D.J. Reader, so that’s another potential big splash to keep an eye out for.
Being able to make moves like those means something has to be sacrificed, and it looks like Conklin was the sacrifice the Titans chose to make. Logan Ryan may also fall into that category.
