Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas (2) warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas has been a fixture on the team for several seasons (he’s played for the team ever since the 2005 season), and he’s also one of the best kickers in the game due to his power and accuracy. This news is bound to surprise some people, and it sure as heck shocked me when I first saw it.
Per sources close to the Nashville Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt, the Titans will release Bironas today, and it looks like they were unwilling to pay his $2.875 million salary next season. Wyatt also reports that the Titans want to get younger at kicker and “create competition”, and Maikon Bonani will vie for the team’s gig next season.
Bironas signed a two-year deal worth $6.675 million last offseason, and it was a well-deserved deal for the 36-year-old Georgia Southern product. He’s such a great kicker that he’ll find work shortly, and I am disappointed by the move overall. The whole “go younger” line is utter BS, and I hope nobody actually buys what the Titans are selling with that line. Not only is Bironas a kicker, but 36-year-old’s aren’t old at that position. And more importantly, Bironas had one year left on his deal. Age? What?
Releasing him now likely lets the Titans get away with not paying his $250,000 roster bonus, but he still would have been worth the slightly-above $3 million salary he was set to receive as a kicker who consistently nails about 85% of his field goals. It’s a disappointing move for the Titans to make, but they do save a few million dollars and could look good at the end of the deal if they find a better kicker and lock him up long-term. That’s risky, though, and it’s tough to see a guy like Bironas leave after all those successful seasons; definitely don’t count me as a fan of his release.