The Titans and pro bowl tight end Delanie Walker reached an agreement Friday on a two-year extension worth 14.7 million, with 8.2 million dollars being guaranteed.
Walker was set to be a free agent after the 2016 season, and expected to draw tons of interest from other teams after his prolific 2015 campaign.
Walker led all tight ends with 94 catches, 1,088 receiving yards to go along with six touchdowns in 2015, while serving as the number one option for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. Walker is heading into his 11th season in the NFL as a revitalized key player in the tight end heavy Mike Mularkey offense.
Mularkey was initially hired by the Titans in 2014 as the tight ends coach, allowing a considerable amount of time to be able to work with his top tight end. Walker’s previous career high in catches (63) and receiving yards (890) came in Mularkey’s first year, but were abolished with his monster year of last.
“This is a great day for our organization,” Mularkey said. “He is one of the best players in the NFL and he is a guy that has continued to represent himself, the organization and the city of Nashville in a positive manner since the day he arrived. Delanie has been a pleasure to coach and it is very gratifying as a coach to watch him perform at such a high level week after week.”
“Delanie is an integral piece of the offense,’’ Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. “In my short time around him, he came in and bought into our philosophy of what Titan football is going to be about. Obviously he’s a Pro Bowl player with great individual statistics, but his commitment and his desire and willingness to compete to the team concept of wanting to win is as important. We are looking forward to his on-field performance, but his positive impact in the community as well.”
Walker took to Twitter soon after the news of his extension went public.
I like to thank the @Titans organization for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to show that I am an Elite TE in the NFL.
— Delanie Walker (@delaniewalker82) May 6, 2016
Since taking over in January, Robinson has made it clear that his vision of building a football team includes true professionals and high character.
“If you come in and represent our brand of football the way we want it represented, do what we ask of you, and embody all the characteristics that are a premium for players that are going to be on our football team, and perform at the level Delanie has performed at, said Robinson, “then we’ll do our best to keep those guys here.”