With free agency just under a week away, it’s time to take a look at some of the potential strategies the Titans are likely to consider using when it comes to the franchise and/or transition tag.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Tennessee Titans have some tough decisions to make before the new league year officially begins. The Titans have a plethora of unrestricted free agents to make tough decisions on prior to the start of the legal negotiating period.
Players such as Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, Jack Conklin, and Logan Ryan among others are up for a new contract and it will be interesting to see what the team plans on doing with them going forward.
It is highly unlikely that the team will be able to keep everyone so there will unfortunately be some tough goodbyes within the next couple of weeks. As of right now, The Titans will have the unprecedented option of using both the franchise and transition tag, although that is dependent on the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) vote.
The franchise tag is essentially a one-year deal that allows the team to keep the unrestricted free agent of their choice off the open market by giving him a deal that is comparable to some of the top players at their respective positions.
The transition tag is a little different, as it allows the unrestricted free agent to talk and negotiate a contract with anyone they choose to do so with, however, the transition tag gives the team the option to match or decline any contract offer the tagged player may receive from another franchise.
The likelihood that the Titans use at least one of these tag designations is very high, therefore, this article will be going over some of the tag strategies that the Titans are likely considering when it comes to some of their top free agents.
Tag Strategies for Derrick Henry:
Out of all the Titans’ key free agents, I believe Derrick Henry is the least likely to sniff the open market when the new league year officially begins.
After having a dominant 2019 campaign in which the Titans running back put the team on his back on the way to the AFC Championship game, Henry set himself up for a nice payday while becoming the face of this often faceless franchise along the way.
Following the inevitable release of Dion Lewis, Ian Rapoport stated that Tennessee planned on bringing Derrick Henry back at a “big number”.
Meanwhile… the #Titans are officially releasing RB Dion Lewis, source said. Not a surprise, as his playing time fell off dramatically this year and they plan to bring back Derrick Henry at a big number.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2020
If the Titans are unable to reach a long term deal by the Monday deadline, I fully expect Tennessee to franchise tag Derrick Henry in order to give themselves more time to work a long term deal out, while also preventing other teams from making a pitch at the superstar running back.
The former University of Alabama product, won the NFL rushing title last season after running for 1,540 yards during the regular season. He then went bananas in January by rushing for another 446 yards in his team’s three playoff games.
Henry finished his 2019 season/postseason with an astounding 1,986 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns (18 rushing, two receiving, one passing).
Whether Derrick Henry reaches a long term deal or is ultimately franchise tagged, I think it’s safe to say that we can expect to see some vicious stiff arms inside Nissan Stadium from No. 22 in the near future.
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.
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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.
Tag strategies for Jack Conklin:
Jack Conklin is considered one of the prizes of free agency after coming off his best year since his All-Pro rookie season back in 2016. Very seldom do quality tackles actually hit the open market so when they do, the bidding war begins fast and furiously.
There have been a multitude of rumors stating that Conklin’s market is likely to be very strong and is expected eclipse more than $18 million annually when it’s all said and done.
The Titans have a couple of different options on the table for the former Michigan State standout. The first option — which I consider to be the most likely — the Titans simply let their right tackle capitalize on his market by letting him walk while they attempt to fill that void either through free agency or the draft.
Secondly, should they reach a deal with Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill prior to the tag deadline, they could franchise tag Conklin and hope he’s willing to play on the tag in order to solidify that right side for at least another year.
Lastly, Tennessee could choose to do a tag and trade scenario where they franchise tag their former first round pick, and then seek a trade in order to capitalize on his clear interest from other teams.
Before the 2019 season, the Miami Dolphins traded Laremy Tunsil to the Houston Texans for two first round picks and a second rounder among other assets. That alone makes you think a talented tackle like Conklin would draw relatively similar interest if he were put on the trading block.
Although, the only way that situation becomes a legitimate possibility, depends if the Titans have figured out what they want to do in terms of extending Henry and Tannehill prior to the deadline, which would leave the franchise tag option available for Conklin. Something that in my opinion, seems very unlikely at this point.
The Titans could still reach a long term deal with Conklin as well, but that seems like the unlikeliest of all the situations I listed thus far therefore it may be time to mentally prepare for the possibility of having a new right tackle in 2020 and beyond.