Tennessee Titans, Derrick Henry shock NFL with massive new contract

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Mike Vrabel congratulates Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Jaguars 42-20. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Mike Vrabel congratulates Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Jaguars 42-20. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Biggest pros and cons

The good:

-The deal allows the Titans to keep Derrick Henry until he is 29, which means that Tennessee will have Henry for the entirety of his prime. In fact, this study suggests that his production should probably still be close to what he did at age 22-23.

-Every move the Titans have made this offseason is to bring back or improve what made them great last year: running the ball, vertical aggression in the passing game, lots of play action. This was the final piece to making this a long term plan to build around and not a short term plan that might have to change in 2021.

The bad:

-Even though history shows production doesn’t really become a problem until an RB hits 30, the fact is that paying RBs in the past has hurt teams badly. Maybe in an era where cap space is more myth than fact (although we will see about 2021) it won’t matter, but this would have to be the exception.

-For all of Henry’s dominance the last 22ish games, there was a time in the not so distant past where Henry didn’t look like the running back of the future. Then Eddie George intervened, but it isn’t like Henry has been an elite player his entire career.