Should Titans make Derrick Henry highest-paid RB with new contract?
If the Tennessee Titans were at all uncertain about whether or not to give Derrick Henry a new contract after this season, he has now made their decision easy.
When the Tennessee Titans sit down in the offseason and assess their free agents, not only should running back Derrick Henry be at the top of their list, he should be a lock to get a new contract.
And, that contract should make him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
After winning the rushing title in 2019 with 1,540 yards, Henry has continued scorching opposing defenses in the playoffs.
First, he squashed the No. 1 overall defense — the New England Patriots — in the NFL in the Wild Card round, then he dominated a Baltimore Ravens defense that had the sole focus of shutting him down.
In two playoff games this season, Henry has run for 377 yards and smashed multiple playoff records in the process. His 180 yards in three straight games is also an NFL first, as no running back in the history of the sport has done it.
At a position that is often poo-pooed in this day and age, Derrick Henry is unlike ANYTHING we’ve ever seen before.
His skill set is unlike any other back. Henry is the definition of a bruiser, capable of wearing defenses out over the course of a game. But he also has elite breakaway speed that makes him a threat to bust off a big run whenever the ball is in his hands.
If nothing else, Henry has proven that rushing attacks can still lead teams to serious success in today’s pass-happy NFL.
The Titans have been able to win two playoff games on the back of Henry (and their defense) with quarterback Ryan Tannehill throwing for under 100 yards in each game.
Even when he isn’t putting up giant numbers, the sheer threat Henry poses opens things up for Tannehill and the passing attack via the play action.
Henry is the heart and soul of this offense and everything revolves around him. He is the Titans’ identity and has gone from a good running back to a superstar that everyone is talking about over the course of this season. He alone is worth the price of admission.
There are also no character concerns with Henry. He hasn’t gotten into a shred of trouble while in the NFL, and he’s not only a great teammate and a fan-favorite, but he also shows his appreciation for fans by doing laps around the stadium after games to return the love fans have showed him and his team.
As it stands now, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot is at the top of the list of the highest-paid players at Henry’s position. Dallas extended Zeke with a six-year, $90 million contract at the start of the season, which works out to $15 million annually.
While the Titans will have both the franchise and transition tags at their disposal, that shouldn’t really be a consideration at this point. Henry has to be locked up long-term, and that should come in the form of a four-year deal that pays him between $15.5 and $16 million annually.
Henry (26) isn’t likely to command the six-year pact that Elliot (24) got because of their age difference, so a four-year deal makes sense and would take him to his age 30 season. If need be, I wouldn’t hate a fifth year, either.
Of course, there is always some concern with signing a running back long term, and that’s especially true when the contract takes a back past the oft-dreaded number of 30 years old.
However, Henry is a guy who keeps himself in great shape and doesn’t have a lot of tread on the tires.
Take Elliot, for example. In his four years in the league, Zeke has run the rock over 300 times in three of four regular seasons (he had 242 in 10 games in 2017), and his average total of carries in that span is 292.2 per year.
Compare that to Henry, who just completed his first regular season of 300 or more carries and has averaged 201 carries per regular season. He has over 300 less regular season carries than Elliot.
The Titans also had to lean extra on Henry this season because his backup, Dion Lewis, did nothing for Tennessee’s offense. There’s no doubt that general manager Jon Robinson will not only cut bait with Lewis this offseason, but also address the need for a back who can spell Henry.
That will help the Titans give Henry more rest during games than they were able to give him this season, especially in blowout situations.
Another argument against signing Henry to such a deal would be his lack of involvement in the passing game. After all, Henry caught just 18 passes this season and did have some drops.
Sure, Henry isn’t the best pass-catching back we’ve seen, but the Titans’ screen game overall was a mess for most of the season, and Henry has still proven he can be a game-wrecker when getting the ball through the air in space (just ask the Cleveland Browns).
The bottom line is this: Derrick Henry has proven to be the kind of superstar that the Titans can build around and win games with, and the franchise should pay him as such this offseason.