The Tennessee Titans knew they were getting a good offensive lineman when they drafted Peter Skoronski 11th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. A tackle in college, some thought he should be given the opportunity to fail on the outside before kicking inside to guard, where others felt he best profiled at the NFL level. Playing tackle would have better justified his draft status, as interior offensive linemen are rarely taken that high.
The Titans opted to put Skoronski inside at left guard where he has now played for three seasons. That move is paying off. And now Skoronski is eligible for a lucrative contract extension this offseason.
Peter Skoronski has earned a contract extension after elite 2025 season
Having just completed his third season as a pro, the big man from Northwestern is now eligible for a long-term extension. Coming off of his best season, he should be looking to cash in. According to Pro Football Focus, Skoronski just set a career best for pressure rate allowed (3.31%) and finished second among all qualifying guards in pass block grade (84.5), 10th in run block grade (73.2), and was the fifth-best guard overall (79.0).
Skoronski's play helped bring stability to an offensive line that lacked consistency in previous years. He paired with veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to help rookie quarterback Cam Ward feel some sense of security in his first year at the pro level.
The Titans will be resetting their roster this year with a new leadership team in place, led by first-year head coach Robert Saleh. Some of the splashier free agents the team has signed in recent years may be let go. This includes wide receiver Calvin Ridley and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. Those two moves alone could save the team almost $38 million in cash. And some of that savings will undoubtedly be used to find other free agents that fit Saleh's vision for the team. But some could also go to locking down Skoronski as a building block for the future.
What could a Peter Skoronski extension look like?
Skoronski has two years of team control left on his rookie contract. He is owed $3,432,176 for the final year of his standard four-year contract. The Titans also have a fifth-year option they can exercise for the 2027 season. That option is currently estimated at $20,497,000 according to Over The Cap.
The option is an interesting wrinkle. The way the NFL categorizes players for the calculations of fifth-year options, as well as franchise tag valuations, considers all offensive linemen the same. However, when signing offensive linemen to contracts in reality, teams see large distinctions based on the specific position a person plays.
The top five paid left tackles all make at least $26 million per year. But the fifth-highest paid center in the NFL makes just $12 million per year. This makes the fifth-year option a more precarious decision for team's when it comes to their interior offensive linemen. The Baltimore Ravens declined center Tyler Linderbaum's fifth-year option last year because the option would have made him the highest paid center in the league by a large margin.
The Titans have to make a decision on Skoronski's option this offseason. While the near-$20.5 million price tag won't make him the highest paid left guard in the NFL, it won't have him far off. Only two left guards, Philadelphia's Landon Dickerson and Dallas' Tyler Smith make more than that currently.
And by exercising the option, Tennessee makes that the floor on a long-term deal. Skoronski and his representation will take that as his minimum market value if the team wants to sign up for additional years of play from their budding star pass protector. But that's where his market is headed anyways.
Using Dickerson and Smith as comparables here is a look at how Skoronski's 2025 compared to the other two in the year before they signed their extensions.
Player | Snaps | Pressure Rate Allowed | Pressures Allowed | True Pass Set Pressure Rate Allowed | PFF PBK Grade | PFF RBK Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peter Skoronski (2025) | 1,055 | 3.31% | 23 | 6.34% | 84.5 | 73.2 |
Landon Dickerson (2023) | 1,045 | 5.45% | 34 | 6.73% | 77.6 | 67.8 |
Tyler Smith (2024) | 1,052 | 3.23% | 22 | 4.59% | 76.0 | 73.8 |
Skoronski's production/productivity lines up well with Smith, who is currently the highest paid left guard in the NFL at $24 million per year. This would be how Skoronski's representation paints him in negotiations. And it is likely where a deal is headed.
The guard market has moved upwards at a rapid trajectory the past few years. A new market setting deal won't likely clear Smith by much. But Skoronski has as good a chance as any to clear Smith by at least $250,000 per year. Over four years, that would be $97 million.
The total effective deal from the Titans' perspective would be six years (including the two years of team control they currently have) and $120,929,176. His effective APY would be $20,154,863. That's just a hair above what the Panthers paid Robert Hunt a couple of years ago. Only Carolina didn't get six years of team control and are paying on lower salary caps (effectively paying a greater percentage of their buying power).
There are other guard deals lurking in the wings. Quenton Nelson may get an extension this offseason. Cody Mauch of the Bucs could get a good pay day if he bounces back from injury in 2026. Kevin Dotson is just a year away from free agency. The market will see another jump in the next year or two. The Titans could minimize that jump's impact on Skoronski by locking him up now.