It is easy for Tennessee Titans fans to daydream and window shop in free agency, but the top priority this offseason is to pay Harold Landry his money.
Titans fans should respect the greatness of guys like A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry, but no one on this entire roster has been as willing to do whatever it takes to win as Harold Landry has.
We are entering the point of the offseason where writers scramble to form opinions on players that they have barely watched. That leads to big names being lauded while good (and sometimes great) players end up in the middle of a list with the title “top-50 free agents” or something similar.
For example, last year Pro Football Network had Denico Autry as the 61st ranked free agent and ranked him outside of the top-10 free agent EDGEs. Tennessee Titans fans will remember Denico Autry as one of the most menacing pass rushers in the NFL last year and he racked up 10.5 sacks in 2021 when you include the playoffs.
I’m not knocking Pro Football Network exactly, but they (along with others) don’t seem to understand Landry’s role with the team and his value. They tend to say things like:
"“And that’s what Landry is. He’s a pass rusher. He’s quick, explosive, and flexible enough to be a nuisance as an arc rusher consistently. However, we’re going into Year 5, and there still isn’t much of a power element to his game. Stronger, more refined tackles tend to gobble him up like a Thanksgiving turkey, and he struggles against the run.”"
That just isn’t true, and it doesn’t take long to see Landry setting edges in the run game or doing the dirty work to help make or set up plays for others.
Harold Landry is worth the money for the Tennessee Titans
The infamous Buck Reising reported on Tuesday that one of Harold Landry’s goals with his next contract is to be the highest-paid player in his position group. Right now, that would be Bud Dupree who is making $16.5 million per year on a 5-year contract.
Can the Tennessee Titans pay him that kind of money? Absolutely, they can open up nearly $50 million in cap space just by making decisions on these 6 players.
Should they pay him? Absolutely. Here is a quick list off the top of my head of what Landry has done for this team:
-Rush the passer on the edge
-Run stunts to open up lanes for other defenders
-Set the edge in the run game by taking on tackles and tight ends
-Intercept passes
-Tip passes for others to intercept
-Line up as an off-ball linebacker (a lot!) even though that isn’t part of his job description
-Line up as a slot corner for some reason
He is either first or second in snaps played in each of the last three years, and he has only missed one game in his career and that was in his rookie season. Like Derrick Henry, there is no one on the roster who has done more to earn a new contract than Harold Landry.
If you want to show your players that you pay the guys who work their way up and who give everything they have, then you have to pay Harold Landry. Over the next 5-8 years Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, and A.J. Brown have to be the foundation of this team and he deserves a contract that reflects those expectations.