Despite arguments to the contrary, the Tennessee Titans have been a cheap franchise for most of their existence.
While people have been quick to dismiss this narrative in the past because the Titans have occasionally splurged in free agency, the truth is that the Titans have been frugal. If you are bristling at that comment, just take a look at the numbers below, and you will see the painful truth.
On the chart below, you can see that the Titans have spent $61 million less than the league average over the last five years, putting them firmly in the bottom-10 teams in spending over that stretch.
Updated NFL cash spend on players since 2020 (Spotrac data).
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) January 5, 2026
The Cleveland Browns have spent $362 million more on players than the Los Angeles Rams since the pandemic forced teams to learn how to use void years.
The league, overall, has spent $138 million over cap dollars. pic.twitter.com/0t1EA6IeJp
Titans must show willingness to spend this offseason
The Titans have been one of the cheapest teams in the NFL; it is just a fact. Now that those numbers are clear and everyone can be honest about what the franchise has been, it is a perfect time to remind the fan base that the front office can start changing whenever they want.
GM Mike Borgonzi has been given the vote of confidence by ownership, coaches, and even players in the building, and he seems like he is the right man to lead this team into the future. After years of being cheap, that means that he is going to be armed with more cap space than anyone else in the NFL, and he can really start to change the narrative about the franchise starting this offseason.
In every free agent class, there are really good, talented players at the top of the list. While they aren't always stars and future Pro Bowlers (sometimes they are, but not always), they are usually above-average starters. A team like the Titans needs as much star power as possible, so spending money on ascending talents in free agency could be the perfect opportunity to get more talent in the locker room.
With the foundation of the roster in place, taking some big swings on high-floor, high-ceiling guys feels like a no-brainer for this team in the offseason, and there is no excuse not to take those swings if you are Borgonzi and company. In fact, the willingness to take those swings should be a big factor in persuading a prospective head coach to lead this team.