Titan Sized
FanSided

Why the Titans were right to choose Ryan Tannehill over Tom Brady

By Jamisson Hiffner

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates after rushing for a 1-yard touchdown during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates after rushing for a 1-yard touchdown during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Titans ultimately decided to stick with Tannehill. Let’s take a look at what that could mean for the future

On Sunday, March 15th, the Tennessee Titans and Ryan Tannehill agreed to a 4-year, $118 million extension. The deal includes $91 million in total guarantees, per Ian Rapoport.

This isn’t all that surprising. Tannehill hasn’t been shy about wanting to remain a Titan, and it was always assumed the Titans saw enough to want him back in 2020.

The dollar value of this deal might make some people shudder, but it’s really not as bad as it looks. Tannehill is now the seventh-highest-paid QB in the league, but after Free Agency, he might not even be in the top 10.

And say the first couple years of the deal don’t work out as hoped. Well, Tannehill’s salary for 2022 doesn’t guarantee until the 5th league day of 2021, according to Spotrac. There is also another potential out after 2022, so I feel that this is a beneficial deal for both parties.

After the 2019 season Tannehill had, it would’ve been very hard to let him walk. This deal assures the Titans have their QB for a few years, but they aren’t crippled by this contract either. There SHOULD still be enough money laying around to bring King Henry back into the fold, and add an outside impact free agent.

We’ve all heard the Tom Brady-to-Tennessee rumors. However, shortly before the Tannehill deal was announced, a report came out that the Titans weren’t even that interested in Brady all along. Take that for what it’s worth, but it is possible that the Brady idea was tossed around as leverage to get Tannehill under contract.

Yes, Brady is the GOAT. But does that make him the best option to lead the Titans in 2020?

I wont lie, i’ve gone back and forth on this one. On one hand, he is arguably the greatest QB ever, as i mentioned. And having Brady would definitely help the Titans’ attendance woes. Just imagine all the number 12 Brady jerseys we would see at Nissan Stadium, but this time on Titans fans instead of Patriots.

On the other hand, Brady will be 43 years old by the time the 2020 regular season starts. Even if the age wasn’t a factor, there’s no guarantee we would see the same Tom Brady we’re used to seeing. Starting over in a new system on a new team at 43 years old would inevitably take time to get adjusted to. I wouldn’t expect Brady to come right in and dominate in two tone blue like we’re so accustomed to seeing him do in New England.

If Brady would’ve been the Titans choice, you also have to think about the future of the position much sooner than you will if Tannehill is the guy. Tannehill will only be 32 when the 2020 season starts, a whole ten years younger than Brady. If you sign Brady for, let’s just say, two years, well then you probably go ahead and draft a rookie signal-caller in the 2020 draft to develop behind Brady and eventually take over.

Now that Tannehill is the guy for at least the next few years, the Titans can focus their draft picks on other areas of need, without having to worry about drafting a QB of the future. That is an underrated aspect of this decision, because the Titans are just a couple months removed from an AFC Championship Game appearance, and don’t appear to have many needs.

The Titans aren’t that far away from something great. Continuity is key in the NFL, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

This is all assuming Tom Brady even WANTS to leave New England. Imagine the Titans let Tannehill leave in free agency due to their sights being set on Brady, and Brady ends up staying in New England. Then what do the Titans do? This was simply a situation of sticking with your guy who, albeit not the largest sample size, gets the job done.

Ryan Tannehill most likely won’t finish his career with the same accolades as Tom Brady, but that’s alright. Ryan Tannehill works for the Titans, and if he performs similarly to 2019, I do believe this team can win a Super Bowl under his tutelage. If the Titans win a Super Bowl in the next four years, I doubt anyone would be calling this deal an overpay.

Home/Titans News