Tyler Lockett‘s stint in Tennessee has unceremoniously come to an end. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the veteran wideout asked for and was granted his release by the Titans today. The move allows Lockett to sign with another team after 4pmET on Wednesday.
After spending 10 seasons in Seattle to begin his career, Lockett was released by the Seahawks this past offseason. He quickly caught on with the Titans via a one-year, $4MM deal. The hope was that the receiver would provide another experienced target for Cam Ward, but the acquisition clearly wasn’t clicking with his new offense.
Through seven games, Lockett has hauled in 10 of his 21 targets for 70 yards. While he’s garnered the third-most snaps among Titans receivers, his role has been trending downwards in recent weeks. This seemed to culminate yesterday, when the 33-year-old was firmly playing as the WR4 despite Calvin Ridley being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
This move should now work out for both sides. The 1-6 Titans will get an opportunity to get a longer look at their younger wideouts, including Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, who hauled in his first-career touchdown during yesterday’s loss. Paul Kuharsky wonders if the Titans may also lean more into two tight end sets, which would presumably consist of Chig Okonkwo and Gunnar Helm.
For Lockett, the veteran will have an opportunity to catch on with a more competitive squad, although he may be hard pressed to find a significant role with a new team. Lockett’s numbers dropped a bit during his final seasons in Seattle, including a 2024 campaign where he finished with 49 receptions for 600 yards and two touchdowns.
This was a far cry from the four-straight 1,000-yard campaigns he put up between 2019 and 2022, and his recent role in Tennessee could indicate that he doesn’t have a whole lot left in the tank. At the very least, the veteran can now ride off into the sunset with a team that’s perhaps destined for the postseason.
More to come…
Lockett and thielen were a criminally underrated for a steady stretch of 4 years.
Steelers always need receivers
Reunite with DK
Next call from the Commanders
Dear Titans,
I would like to sign an NFL team.
Sincerely,
Tyler Lockett
Interesting that more teams need D-Backs now more than wideouts.
Giants are terrible but Lockett would be a good fit, despite his declining production. They’re so depleted at WR that Lockett would be WR2 the moment he signed. Giants putting up 25 points/game since Dart took over. Of course, if anyone else wants him, he should go there, but if no one actually good wants him, Giants would make sense.
I could definitely see a reunion with Metcalf in the cards, but there a few teams that could use a savvy vet with experience making plays underneath and on the outside.
It will be interesting to see how much explosiveness and quickness Lockett still retains. Those were two of his best qualities in Seattle, and that showed through his return experience. Dike had a pretty good game Sunday, all things considered, and did a lot of the things that Lockett used to in that arena. Given that they played similar styles and that Dike did in fact have a good game, it’s not surprising that we didn’t see much of Lockett. However, it does make it hard to see if there indeed has been any regression to account for his lack of snaps in Tennessee, or if that was a result of other factors. Regardless, a cheap deal with a new team would not be unexpected at all.
The Giants, Patriots, and Steelers are looking for wideouts, and Lockett would probably be good leverage in case no deal appears to their liking. If Vegas deals Meyers, which looks likely, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lockett acts as insurance with Carroll and Smith on board there.
I’ll go against the grain and suggest 49ers
¯\_(ツ)_/¯