Tennessee Titans re-sign Ryan Tannehill: Grade, analysis, terms
The Tennessee Titans have agreed to re-sign quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a lucrative contract after he led them to the AFC Championship last season.
Whenever Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel handed over the keys to quarterback Ryan Tannehill in 2019 after a 2-4 start with Marcus Mariota at the helm, it was if a switch flipped in Nashville. A predictable and mediocre (or often bad) offense had new life as Tannehill took over and invigorated the Titans. The result was a 7-3 finish to the regular season, a Wild Card berth and then a playoff run to the AFC Championship Game.
The move to first acquire Tannehill in exchange for a late-round pick in the 2019 season was a stroke of genius from Titans general manager Jon Robinson. Vrabel then having the guts and the wherewithal to recognize that a change was necessary and making it at the right time fits into the same category. But the question then became what’s next for Ryan Tannehill as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
That was answered on Sunday as the Titans agreed to a multi-year contract with Tannehill, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. While there were reported flirtations with bringing in Tom Brady, Tennessee decided Tannehill was the guy to move forward with.
Terms of new contract
As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, the Titans and Tannehill have agreed to a four-year, $118 million contract ($29.5 million per year) with $62 million fully guaranteed and up to $91 million in total guarantees. Talk about cashing in on a big 2019 season for the former Dolphin.
Ryan Tannehill has agreed to terms on a new four-year contract with the Titans, per source. Here’s the numbers:
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 15, 2020
$118m total
$29.5m average per year
$62m full guarantee
$91m total guarantee
BIG deal for Tannehill!
Contract grade
There is absolutely no denying the effect Tannehill had on the Titans offense. His ability to both protect the football but also be willing to take shots down the field opened things up not only for A.J. Brown and the passing attack but also for Derrick Henry in the run game. Because of that, the best option for Tennessee was always to re-sign him.
Having said that, it’s hard to believe that the Titans weren’t hoping for the new NFL CBA to not be passed yet so they could apply the transition and franchise tags to retain both Tannehill and Derrick Henry on what essentially amounts to one-year deals. That would’ve given Tannehill, who was up and down in Miami, another year to prove himself before cashing in.
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Instead, the Titans have to pony up not just a long-term contract but also quite a bit of money — especially with guarantees — to bring Tannehill back into the fold. And while it was their best option moving forward, it’s hard to give Tennessee a top grade when you take all of that into account.