This is why the Tennessee Titans haven’t signed Justin Houston or Ndamukong Suh
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans have the money, but is the situations right for the two big free agents left on the market?
If you have seen my ever evolving Twitter handle or any of the articles on here, you know that the big question has been whether the Tennessee Titans were going to take a run at Justin Houston or Ndamukong Suh.
Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson has been so far in free agency, nailing offseason moves at huge positions of need. However, with money left in his pockets I think we are all expecting him to try at least one more move.
While there haven’t been names connected, there is a chance that the Tennessee Titans are actually interested in bringing in one of these guys.
First of all, let’s start at home with the Tennessee Titans. Jon Robinson explained this best when he said:
"“‘I haven’t gotten the update from Vin yet,’ said Robinson, referring to Titans VP of Football Administration Vin Marino, who handles the contracts. ‘But he hasn’t told me to put the phone down or to stop fielding calls yet. Until he says stop, I’m going to keep going.'”"
It sure seems like Robinson is going to keep attempting to make this team better, not just add competition or depth.
If that wasn’t enough to prove that Tennessee was still interested in making moves, Jim Wyatt who has covered Titans forever and now does so for the team itself, said this:
So if the Tennessee Titans are still interested in making big moves, why aren’t Justin Houston and Ndamukong Suh on the roster yet? Here is the latest on both of those players from NFL Network:
So, it looks like there are two fairly different reasons why both players aren’t on a roster yet.
Ndamukong Suh is looking for his market to set up, which makes sense. Last year the safety market was really strange as some great safeties just sat there forever (Kenny Vaccaro) as we all just wondered who was going to sign them and when.
For defensive tackles, that is what the market looks like to them. No one has really set a standard for a contract that both sides can agree to, so while we are waiting to see which side blinks first on a lot of these deals it is really going to take someone signing Suh to make the market move.
Another note is that he is interested in playing on the West Coast. The west coast teams are:
-Seattle Seahawks (a deal makes sense)
-San Francisco 49ers (doesn’t make sense)
-L.A. Rams (doesn’t make sense)
-Oakland Raiders (doesn’t make sense)
-L.A. Chargers (makes sense)
So, if the Seahawks or Chargers make a competitive offer for Suh I would imagine that he is going to go there. However, state tax is insane there and if everything is equal he would make way more money in Tennessee. Time will tell, but I would think those two and the Titans would be the leaders in the clubhouse.
Justin Houston is different. In that video, Ian Rapoport clearly says that there is “considerable interest as of [Monday]…down to three teams.”
The issue with Houston isn’t money, he is taking his time to make sure he is in the right fit. I’m going to be honest, I don’t know how much that helps the Titans.
Right now, they could definitely use another EDGE but will that be the case in two years? Is he going to see this as a team that he can stay with in the pursuit of a championship?
The vibe on Suh is much different because he essentially known as a mercenary now, interested in a string of one-year contracts. However, Houston looks like he wants a longer term deal with the commitment that he will be a long time starter.
Considering cap room, teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears all stand out as teams that could fit what he is asking for. The Titans may be able to make him a better offer, but it may not come down to money.