Before the Titans’ playoff exit in the Divisional Round, there was a great deal of speculation surrounding quarterback Ryan Tannehill and his future with the team. After the loss – and in particular, Tannehill’s performance in the game – sentiment that Tennessee could need an upgrade only increased. 
However, the franchise is publicly backing Tannehill, as ESPN’s Turron Davenport writes. Both general manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear they have faith in the 33-year-old, despite his struggles in 2021. Tannehill threw for 220 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in the team’s playoff loss to the Bengals. It marked a disappointing end to the season, given that Tennessee had earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC despite missing Derrick Henry for much of the campaign.
Another reason for fodder that the Titans could be getting a new signal-caller is the fact that Aaron Rodgers, who is “reportedly open to playing for the Titans”, recently purchased property near Nashville. However, the Packers’ QB – who has one year remaining on his current contract – is thought to be on better terms now with the team than he was one year ago. Furthermore, as Davenport notes, “the Titans don’t consider Rodgers to be an option for them” and they have “full intentions of moving forward with Tannehill”.
Specifically, Robinson said, “Ryan’s our quarterback. He’s made a lot of plays for us. He’s a great leader. He’s extremely tough. [We] love what Ryan brings to our football team, love what he stands for. We’re looking forward to him getting back in there, and getting back on track”. Vrabel also added: “He has elite toughness… He has shown signs of accuracy, of decision-making, the ability to extend plays and to scramble and leadership. Those are all things that you look for in a quarterback, and Ryan has shown us that”.
Robinson and Vrabel each signed extensions recently, so they could look to keep Tannehill as a way of maintaining continuity within the franchise. If he does stay in Tennessee, though, his cap hit will jump to $38.6MM as a result of the restructure he agreed to which accommodated the Julio Jones acquisition. If Tannehill is able to return to the level of play he showed in 2019 and 2020 – where he totalled 55 touchdown passed and only 13 interceptions – the team will likely have made the right choice. If 2021 (21 TDs, 14 INTs) is a better indicator of his future, though, sticking with him instead of looking elsewhere could prove costly.
trade rodgers for tannehill + a first
Tannehill isn’t tradeable because of his cap hit, I’m pretty sure.
Rodgers has a huge cap hit too. I’m sure they could work it out.
That’s not how money works in the NFL. The dead cap hit goes to the team trading the guy, and this year he has a $57 million dead cap hit.
Packers have Love
yeah, get tannehill to qb camp vs love, see who’s better
They’ll never win anything with Tannehill – as he can’t carry the team when it matters. And unfortunately the NFL has made the QB too important to a team’s ultimate success.
Indeed.
– Nick Folk
Tannehill is our man until we can find someone better and this year isn’t it. We will accept losing in the Playoffs going forward is what they should of said.
Yep I agree. I mean I agree with Yep.
I believe Jay Cutler owns property in Tennessee so does that make him a candidate to replace Tannehill too?
A quarterback who has been in trade rumors for a year and a quarterback who has been retired 5 years. The never said geography was the only factor, but to pretend like that could never have any bearing is as ridiculous as your failed attempt at humor.
He has a music publishing business in Nashville. And he is only one of many pro athletes from other teams who have homes here. It’s a non factor.
Run first team with a qb that is about 2:1? Stay the course. Get Julio healthy and target him early to keep him engaged or move on. They don’t need a flashy QB. But, I think this is a great team for a guy like Cousins. Not a huge upgrade but it could be enough to get them a few more wins. That’s all this team needed last year.
I think people are weirdly down on Tannehill in here. Yeah, you’d rather have a true elite QB or a very good QB who’s on their rookie deal, but I thought Tannehill actually impressed this past year. They had line problems much of the year, they had their three top weapons out for huge swaths of the season, and they lost the offensive coordinator under whom he had his breakout. In a time when teams like Washington, Indy, or Carolina have a lot of talent but are in a seemingly constant QB scramble, Tannehill deserves some love. I’d rather have him than Jimmy G or even Cousins next year.
Yeah, people on this site complain about anyone that isn’t borderline top 5
No he just blows
If he blows, then what does that make someone like Taylor Heinicke in your mind?