What does this decision mean for the Tennessee Titans?
The Tennessee Titans choose not to exercise OT Jack Conklin‘s 5th year option, meaning that after 2019 he will be a free agent.
This is a small decision masked as a big one, and it really doesn’t mean anything for the Titans at this point short or long-term.
Let’s talk about what the 5th year option is. In a 1st round rookie’s contract, there is an option that allows a team to place a sort of franchise tag on a player. The cost of this move is decided by position and where that player was drafted.
Once that option is invoked, the player is owed a certain amount of guaranteed money at the start of the next league year. For the Titans this means that in March of 2020, Jack Conklin would have been owed nearly $13 million in guaranteed money.
That would make Conklin the highest paid right tackle in the NFL, and that just doesn’t make sense from a cap standpoint.
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According to OTC, the Titans will have over $55 million in cap space in 2020. If Jack Conklin’s option was picked up then you are talking about $42 million in cap space.
Most year’s that wouldn’t be an issue, but next offseason the Titans will have to pay: Logan Ryan, Marcus Mariota, Dennis Kelly, Derrick Henry, and Kevin Byard. $42 million is probably not going to be enough to keep those four or even potentially three of those four.
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While there are other moves/cuts that could be made, the best way to save money now is to decline that option. If Conklin plays lights out and plays like the best right tackle in football, then you can talk about an extension during the season or right after the season before free agency starts.
If not, then you can get a little more risky and even let him consider hitting free agency or matching an offer.
The point is, this doesn’t mean that Conklin will be back with the Titans or that he is leaving. This has more to do with cap space and the free agency class next year than anything else, so if Conklin is healthy and plays like he did the first two years then expect him to get a long term deal.
If not, then things start to get a little bit less clear.