Tennessee Titans: Franchise tag and transition tag strategies

3 of 4

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Tag strategies for Ryan Tannehill:

The Titans’ quarterback situation is easily the most intriguing and confusing topic of the 2020 off-season. A two-tone civil war has broken out on social media over Ryan Tannehill and Tom Brady before either of them has even hit the open market.

Titans twitter has been in shambles the last couple of weeks, breaking down every rumor, face-time call, interview, and even going as far as to evaluate the tone of that interview in order to find some sort of Intel on which way the team is leaning.

The truth of that matter is, no one really knows what’s going to happen besides the people that are actually putting the plans together. If you prefer Tannehill over Brady, there’s tons of speculation out there to make you believe he’s the first option and vice versa.

Fortunately for everyone’s sanity, questions will finally start to get answered within the next week or so as the Titans have no choice but to let their plan be known as they begin to put that plan into attack.

Personally, I don’t expect Jon Robinson to let Tannehill hit the open market without some sort of protection, therefore I believe they have a couple different strategies on the table for the former Texas A&M product.

More from Titan Sized

Should Derrick Henry get a long term deal before the tag deadline, the Titans could very well use the franchise tag on their current Titans quarterback which would likely put any Tom Brady speculation to rest.

Another obvious option on the table is securing the former Dolphins quarterback to a long term extension as soon as possible, which would undoubtedly end any and all Tom Brady speculation.

Lastly, depending on the tags availability following the new CBA vote, the Titans could potentially transition tag their quarterback so they have the right to match any offer that Tannehill receives during free agency.

Doing this will allow themselves enough wiggle room to go after Tom Brady should they choose to go that route, while still having the right to secure their old quarterback if they come up short in the Brady chase. Everything is a fluid situation so it’s impossible to really know which way they’re leaning until it actually happens, but this is the only legitimate scenario that I see the transition tag being used in 2020.

The tag extension that passed due to the CBA vote makes things very intriguing when it comes to the Titans’ quarterback situation. Usually players have about five to seven days after the tag deadline passes in order to sign their deal prior to free agency beginning (should they choose to play on the tag).

Now, free agency will start exactly one minute after the tag deadline so that potentially gives players no time to sign their tag designation, leaving the possibility of either tag being rescinded at any moment should the team choose to go in another direction.

Whatever begins to unfold in the coming weeks, make sure you’re buckled up because this has the potential to be one of the most wild off-seasons in recent memory.

Home/Titans Free Agency