Ryan Tannehill is staying in Tennessee on a 4 year / $118 million deal, but it was a very poor move for the franchise.
Tannehill was one of many quarterbacks prepared to hit Free Agency in this stacked quarterback class, that includes Tom Brady, Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, potentially Dak Prescott, and other trade candidates under contract.
The Titans made a huge mistake by not waiting until the start of the Free Agency period, and seeing what other Quarterbacks were asking for, compared to Tannehill.
The Titans did make it to the AFC championship this past season, but it wasn’t because of their Quarterback — it was because of their Running Back — Derrick Henry.
He only had 8 completions against the Patriots in the Wild Card round, and only 7 completions in the Divisional Round against the Ravens; not what you pay $118M for.
The success of the Titans with Tannehill relying on Henry, proves that Tannehill needs a very strong running game in order to succeed.
The Titans will likely be able to retain Derrick Henry, whether that’s by franchise tagging him, or signing him to extension.
Though, the method of relying on a Running Back is going to fail with this team, according to multiple historical trends.
Just this past season, Jimmy Garoppolo was in a similar situation, in the postseason, and the 49ers lost in the Super Bowl because of Jimmy’s inability to consistently get completions in big moments, when needed.
In order to win a Super Bowl in the NFL, you need a Quarterback who can consistently complete the ball, and not heavily depend on a Running Back.
Meanwhile, in the Titans case, they plan to lean on a Running Back who has been banged up multiple times in his career.
The Titans only traded a fourth round pick last offseason to acquire the then 30 year old Quarterback, and that was worth it.
The problem is that this past season was really Tannehill’s first successful season, and to put this much trust in a guy who only appeared in 12 games is just not the right move for this team to make.
The Titans are a team that has a chance to compete in the AFC South; but having Tannehill as their starter will never get them to the Super Bowl.
