Tennessee Titans, Alterraun Verner haven’t made “real progress”
Tennessee Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner (20) walks in the Titans bench area. Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Titans No. 1 cornerback Alterraun Verner is one of the best impending free agents at the position, as Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Brent Grimes and Aqib Talib could also hit the free agent market this offseason. Verner looks like the most likely of those names to hit the free agent waters, as the Titans aren’t expected to re-sign the high-priced 25-year-old, who defended 23 passes in a breakout campaign last year.
The Nashville Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt reports that the Titans and Verner still haven’t made “real progress” in negotiations, and it’s looking more and more like the UCLA product will be available for CB-hungry teams. That’s great news for the likes of the Minnesota Vikings, who would love to get a young corner with Verner’s playmaking ability. He has the potential to also develop into a true lockdown player at the position, so he’s worth a lump-sum of cash. But since the Titans also have a lot of money invested in their other talented, young CB in Jason McCourty, they simply don’t have the ability- or need- to give a mega deal to Verner. I’m sure they’d love to re-sign him, but it looks like the price won’t come down to their liking.
Keep a close eye out for how contract talks progress between both sides, but their inability to get much going during the Combine is concerning. I doubt the Titans end up spending enough to keep Verner, who isn’t going to be tagged and seems to want to hit the open market and cash in on his talent.