Predicting destinations for Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry and other Titans free agents
By Brady Akins
The Tennessee Titans will be forced to pick and choose which star free agents they want to stay, but which ones will they sign and who will they let walk?
With the NFL’s free agency period less than two weeks away and some big names on the roster with expiring contracts, the Tennessee Titans have more than a few big decisions looming about the franchise’s short and long-term future.
And with those big decisions just a handful of days away from requiring solutions, it’s becoming increasingly evident that sacrifices of some of the Titans’ best players might be necessary in order to keep Tennessee’s championship window open.
Luckily for Tennessee, the salary cap situation is not all doom and gloom, having just over $47 million dollars on contracts for players that they are looking to bring in, and potentially players they are hoping to bring back.
Among those big contributors that the Titans might hope to bring back are quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Derrick Henry, right tackle Jack Conklin and cornerback Logan Ryan among others– with 2015 Titans draft pick Marcus Mariota also facing an expiring contract.
Mariota is almost certain to move on from Tennessee this offseason, seeking long-term starting potential somewhere else, but he probably won’t be the only one moving on from the Titans this offseason.
Tennessee’s salary cap situation is good right now, but it isn’t great. With limited funds, it will be nearly impossible to draw up high-paying enough contracts for the young, talented players on the team seeking a new deal.
Tannehill is set to name his price after the season that he had, same for Henry. Conklin and Ryan will not be cheap hires either. With the season the Titans had, the team would surely love to bring back each of those players, but it just won’t be in the cards.
So who will be staying, and who will be walking away? And of those players moving on, where are they most likely to land? Let’s try to figure it out, starting with football’s most important position.