The Tennessee Titans concluded their 2024 campaign with a 23-14 defeat to the Houston Texans. Pairing that loss with the New England Patriots' surprising victory over the Buffalo Bills helped the Titans clinch the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. General manager Ran Carthon and head coach Brian Callahan will now be tasked with significantly overturning the roster this offseason.
Carthon spent sizable money in free agency last summer. The return on investment was extremely disappointing, with the Titans crawling to an NFL-worst 3-14 record. Clearly, not all of the Carthon's acquisitions met expectations. We've identified three Titans who did not fulfill their promise, given their lucrative contracts.
Harold Landry III
The longest-tenured Titan, by all accounts, Harold Landry is a selfless player. Landry rushes the passer, defends the run, and drops in coverage. He's been a legitimate workhorse throughout his successful run with the Titans.
But we've reached a point where Landry's production isn't equaling the financial commitment made to him. Landry's base salary of $17.250 million and cap charge of $23.8 million were team-high amounts in 2024. Landry concluded the season ranked 60th among all qualifying EDGEs in pressures with 60, according to Pro Football Focus. His pass-rushing grade of 49.5 ranks 67th, and that's using minimum qualifiers to narrow the list down to rushers who played heavy snap counts (he'd rank lower otherwise).
Landry possesses no guaranteed money on his contract moving forward. He's a likely cap casualty, given the Titans could save $10.9 million (pre-June) or $17.5 million (post-June) by releasing him, per OverTheCap. Sunday's defeat to the Texans may have been Landry's final appearance as a Titan.
Chido Awuzie
The Titans signed Chido Awuzie to a three-year contract worth $36 million to play boundary corner for them in 2024. Awuzie has missed the majority of the campaign with injuries, though he recently returned to Dennard Wilson's lineup. You shouldn't penalize a player for getting injured. The larger issue, and why the expensive cover-corner made this list, is Tennessee's treatment of him since his return.
The Titans have not utilized Awuzie as an every-down starter despite paying him like one. He often split reps outside with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Darrell Baker Jr following his return from injury. Brownlee Jr. is a rookie fifth-rounder, and Baker Jr. was claimed off waivers in September. Meanwhile Awuzie carried the team's fifth-largest cap hit this year at $6.940 million.
L'Jarius Sneed
L'Jarius Sneed is another high-priced player that unfortunately suffered an injury in 2024. The Titans acquired Sneed in the offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick. Carthon then awarded him with a four-year extension worth a sizable $76.4 million.
Sneed missed Tennessee's Week 7 contest against the Buffalo Bills with a quad injury. Recovery progressed incredibly slowly and it was eventually revealed to be far more serious than initially believed. Sneed's season ended after just five games and he did not record a single interception or pass breakup.
Sources indicate Sneed was incredibly frustrated with his injury and worked vigorously to recover. He concluded his first campaign with the Titans with a lackluster PFF coverage grade of 36.8. Sneed's cap charge was a manageable $9.960 million in 2024, but it will inflate in 2025 to a massive $24 million. The Titans desperately need to a return to form.