Should the Tennessee Titans hop on the quarterback carousel?

The Tennessee Titans may have the opportunity to make a change at quarterback this offseason.

Sure, they have a perfectly fine player in Ryan Tannehill, but he’s another year older and the new GM, whoever that will be, will have a choice to make that will define the beginning of his tenure with the Tennessee Titans.

Should he stick with the safe bet or take a chance to hop on the quarterback carousel?

There have been rumblings and there have been rumors, and the offseason intrigue machine is already going full throttle with more quarterbacks becoming available.

So let’s take a look at some of the names and rumors that have already started making the rounds.

Who could be the Tennessee Titans next quarterback?

Derrick Carr

Carr has confirmed his departure from Las Vegas via social media and given his cap situation it is hard to imagine anyone trading for him. If a cut is coming, would Carr make sense as the Tennessee Titans next QB?

It seems doubtful because there is no real financial (or talent) incentive that would make Carr much of an improvement over Ryan Tannehill.

At best, this is a lateral move, so unless DaVante Adams is packing his bags to follow Carr, I can see no reason why the Titans should seriously consider making this move.

Aaron Rodgers

We have all seen the photoshopped images of Rodgers in a Titans jersey. That is fun and all, but how realistic is it?

Listen, I would love to have a generational quarterback leading the offense. But, Rodgers had a tough season this year and the same problems he dealt with in Green Bay’s offense are similar (or worse) to the ailments he would have to deal with in Tennessee.

It just does not feel right, not to mention the money problem that would come with Rodgers (and these money problems would also be a massive hurdle) I think its more likely that Rodgers answers the swan song and hangs it up.

Tom Brady

The Tennessee Titans were apparently in consideration a few years ago before Brady made his move to Tampa Bay. But that was a few years ago and now you truly have to wonder how much Brady has left in the tank.

Brady and Mike Vrabel are buddies that is no secret. Whether it makes sense on paper or not, that friendship means that there is always a chance here.

It also helps that Tom has played for team-friendly contracts in the past and maybe there could be an arrangement that doesn’t break the bank for the Tennessee Titans. If he wanted to work something out, I think there could be a path forward here.

Zach Wilson

Looks like the honeymoon is over in New York and the Jets are in for a shake-up this offseason with Zach Wilson potentially on the chopping block.

This would be a reclamation project which would be a weird pivot for a team already in a years-long development project with Malik Willis. It is doubtful, but New York is a team with a solid foundation that may be an average quarterback away from winning lots of games. If the Titans traded Tannehill, the Jets feel like they could be possible buyers.

Jacoby Brissett

According to one CBS article, Brissett is the projected starter for the Tennessee Titans in 2023. This is a lesson in not trusting everything you read on the internet.

But let’s look at it objectively: Brissett was able to steady the PR dumpster fire that is the Cleveland Browns. He is also cheap, he played for around $5 million on a one-year deal.

If the Titans blow everything up and want a rental, maybe Brissett is the guy. But that would be a bigger surrender than a Todd Downing third and long-draw play.

Lamar Jackson

Now here is an interesting one. Lamar Jackson’s situation in Baltimore seems perilously close to imploding.

A highly volatile combination of factors are changing the vibes in Baltimore. A couple of seasons of struggles, underwhelming results, a lack of playoff success, a growing list of injuries, and on top of all that, the contentious contract situation, just to name what we know.

There seem to be all the pieces in place for a messy divorce… and opportunity for teams that find themselves at… let’s call it a “crossroads”.

Jackson would be an investment, but if Mike Vrabel believes in running the football like he says he does, Jackson would seemingly be worth every penny.

Bottom line, this would shake up the organization, but Jackson is a playmaker and the Titans are in desperate need of more of those. I think there are a lot of reasons this could make sense, but financially it would be hard to pull off since they would still need to do something with Tannehill’s contract.

Only time will tell, but I do expect the Lamar Jackson situation to blow up. Just wait.

Draft someone

This is one of the most interesting options that the Tennessee Titans have.

With a new GM incoming there is a strong possibility that the Malik Willis project could be abandoned in favor of a prospect from a stronger draft class.

Here are some possibilities:

The Titans trade up in the draft to get one of the big three Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, or Will Levis. Keep in mind, if you are even considering one of the first two that likely means trading Jeffery Simmons away as part of a deal.

In this situation, the Titans probably attempt to cut ties with Tannehill through a trade, perhaps with one of the dozen or so teams that need a good quarterback.

The other possibility, that makes sense given the Titans’ need at OL and WR is to retain Tannehill for another year and take a guy like Hendon Hooker (full transparency: as a Vols fan, I would love to see this happen and I am actively trying to manifest it) or Max Duggan who both enjoyed great success in college but are not currently expected to be drafted until rounds 2 or 3.

Stick with Tannehill:

Keeping Tannehill is the betting favorite and most likely outcome. But not a guarantee by any means.

If the Titans stick with Tannehill it allows the team to focus on the other roster issues. Mike Vrabel did state at his end-of-the-year presser, he wants Tannehill to “get as healthy as he possibly can and go and be our quarterback and figure out things that are going to help us win.”

Much will depend on the GM search and, as it stands, no one (and I mean NO ONE) on the roster is guaranteed a spot next year. But, going forward, I would be surprised if the Titans choose to branch out from Tannehill.