Despite the warning signs, Derrick Henry is worth every penny of his new deal.
When Derrick Henry signed his fresh new long term deal, one that will keep him in Tennessee for the next four seasons, he didn’t just become the poster child for the Titans organization– he became the main figure for what people outside of Nashville will call bad business.
There are a handful of unwritten rules when it comes to NFL roster-building. Always draft player talent before positional need (even if it doesn’t make sense), be wary of the quarterback with tiny hands, and never give a running back a big-money contract after their rookie deal.
These are the laws of the NFL land that teams have agreed on, and the Tennessee Titans just broke the golden rule to the tune of 50 million dollars to their star-player, running back Derrick Henry. And when you break one of these immutable laws, you’re bound to get the authorities calling for your head, and right now they’re coming for the Titans.
Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports denounced the contract on his radio show, Jon Ledyard took to Twitter to add fuel to the “don’t pay running backs” fire, and Geoff Schwartz has planted his flag firmly in the “Anyone But Tennessee” battleground.
The experts have given their takes, and their definitive response to Henry’s payday has been disapproval. Do not pay running backs. And to their credit, in general, they have been right about the curse of high value running back contracts.
The Los Angeles Rams signed Todd Gurley to a massive four year, $60 million deal after an All-Pro 2018 season. Two years later, and Gurley now finds himself looking for redemption in Atlanta after a down 2019 season.
A similar story for former Arizona Cardinals’ running back David Johnson, who got a three-year deal worth nearly $40 million from Arizona one year after missing nearly an entire season with a lingering wrist injury. Now with the Houston Texans, Johnson hasn’t reached 1,000-yards rushing since 2016 and his biggest claim to fame might end up being that he was the “big get” that the Texans receivied in one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history.
The warning signs are everywhere, even in successful running backs like the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott and the Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey. Two teams with two elite running backs making big money, but two teams that missed the playoffs last season.
But Derrick Henry doesn’t play for the Panthers or the Cowboys, and Derrick Henry isn’t built in the same way as Gurley or Johnson.
Those teams may have struggled to win with their high-priced running backs, and a few of those running backs may have struggled to find the same success in their careers that earned them those contracts in the first place, but Derrick Henry is different. Derrick Henry is the perfect athlete in the perfect situation with the Tennessee Titans, and their newly-extended marriage could bring with it four years of dominance.