Jeff Fisher Hopes To Coach Again
Even after more than three decades of coaching in the professional ranks, it doesn’t sound like Jeff Fisher is done with the NFL. At least, he hopes that the NFL is not done with him. In the final episode of Amazon’s “All or Nothing” series chronicling the 2016 Rams, Fisher made it known that he wants to get involved with coaching again. 
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“I want to get back on the sideline,” Fisher said (via PFT). “Not going to happen this year, obviously. We’ll just see what happens.”
The Rams went 31-45-1 under Fisher’s guidance through four-and-a-half seasons. For his career, Fisher owns a head coaching record of 173-165-1, giving him a not-so-impressive .512 lifetime winning percentage. Fisher has never won a Super Bowl and has not guided a team to the playoffs in nearly a decade, so he might not seem like a particularly sexy coaching candidate.
However, Fisher does offer tons of experience and he is extremely well connected through the league office. As Mike Florio notes, those connections could help him get in the door with an indecisive owner.
Fisher might be able to sell himself to one of the league’s 32 teams (or, perhaps, to one of 30 clubs) as a veteran coach who has six postseason appearances to his credit. The pitch may satisfy an owner out there, but it’s unlikely to energize a fanbase.
Titans Not Pursuing Zach Orr
A number of teams are interested in Zach Orr, with his agent relaying that about half of the league has contacted him regarding the linebacker. Some teams are standing pat, though. The Titans appear to be one of them. Tennessee is content with its linebacker situation, and according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (on Twitter), has not reached out to Orr. The Titans have Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard penciled in to start on the inside of their 3-4 scheme. That’s been the team’s arrangement inside for the past three seasons, since Woodyard migrated east from Denver, and it looks like the team will roll with this duo for a fourth campaign as Williamson enters his contract year.
- ESPN.com’s Field Yates recalls Jon Robinson enduring scrutiny for only getting reserve offensive lineman Dennis Kelly from the Eagles in last summer’s Dorial Green-Beckham trade (Twitter link). Now that Philly cut Green-Beckham after one season, the second-year Titans GM’s decision doesn’t look so short-sighted. A former fifth-round pick of the Andy Reid-era Eagles in 2012, Kelly played in 145 snaps last season and suited up for all 16 Titans games. DGB’s talent will make him one of the more interesting waiver cases in recent years, but he’s now seen two NFL teams give up on him after one season. This comes after he transferred to Oklahoma only to sit out his junior year in 2014. The last time Green-Beckham played for the same team in consecutive seasons was during his freshman and sophomore campaigns at Missouri.
Chiefs Request Interviews With Two Execs
The Chiefs have requested permission to speak with Titans Director of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden and Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer for their GM job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). If permission is granted, then the executives will become the first outside candidates to interview for the vacancy.
On Monday morning, we learned that Vikings executive George Paton declined the opportunity to be considered for the Chiefs job. In theory, that means that Cowden and Fitterer will have a little less competition for the position, provided that they are actually looking to take the job.
Fitterer has been in the mix for multiple GM jobs, including the Colts and 49ers earlier this year. He was also being considered for a top job with the Eagles before removing himself from consideration. The Seahawks have enjoyed great success in recent years, particularly when it comes to building through the draft and discovering talented undrafted free agents. While John Schneider oversees the operation, Fitterer and Trent Kirchner have been instrumental in building the roster.
After 16 years with the Panthers, Cowden was hired by the Titans in 2016 to oversee all areas of the scouting department, including collegiate scouting, NFL scouting, advance scouting, and international scouting for the draft, free agency, and upcoming opponents. Titans GM Jon Robinson offered glowing praise of Cowden at the time of the hire.
“When I was first hired by the Patriots, Ryan was promoted by Carolina to handle the Southeast and we cut our teeth together in that region scouting,” Robinson said. “We were both learning the ropes, going to many of the same places and had a lot of interaction through the years on the road. He has a strong eye for talent, he has developed good managerial skills over the years and in the team-building process it will be nice to get his take, as they have put together very good teams there in Carolina over the years.”
Tajae Sharpe's Roster Spot Could Be In Jeopardy
- As a rookie last season, fifth-rounder Tajae Sharpe finished second among Titans wide receivers in catches (41), targets (83) and yards (522) in 2016. Nevertheless, it seems he’ll enter camp with a weak hold on a roster spot, writes Jason Wolf of the Tennesseean. The Titans used two valuable picks on receivers – Corey Davis in the first round and Taywan Taylor in the third – in the spring and then signed established veteran Eric Decker last week. Those additions combined with Sharpe’s questionable health (he recently underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot) and a police investigation over an alleged assault have the 22-year-old in limbo, according to Wolf.
Eric Decker Contract Details
- As Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported yesterday, Eric Decker‘s one-year contract with the Titans can be worth as much as $5.35MM, and today Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details exactly how Decker can reach that figure. In addition to his $2.5MM signing bonus and $1.35MM base salary, Decker can earn another $150K in gameday active roster bonuses. Additionally, Decker can get $250K if he scores four touchdowns, per Florio. He’ll receive $125K for every 10 catches starting at 30 and maxing out at 70 (netting him as much as $625K), and can earn another $125K for every 100 yards receiving starting at 450 and maxing out at 850 (potential total: $625K).
- A one-year deal is seemingly never a bad investment, but some single season pacts are more valuable than others, leading Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) to examine the best one-year contracts handed out this offseason. Decker is the most recent signee to make the list, as he’s expected to act as a veteran presence on a young Titans receiving corps. Other featured players from the NFL’s South divisions include Falcons defensive tackle Dontari Poe ($10MM), Chiefs defensive tackle Bennie Logan ($8MM), and Colts wide receiver Kamar Aiken ($5MM).
Details On Eric Decker’s Titans Contract
New Titans wide receiver Eric Decker‘s one-year contract can be worth as much as $5.35MM, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Decker will receive a $2.5MM signing bonus, a $1.35MM base salary, and up to $1.5MM incentives, per Pelissero.
Decker, 30, had been scheduled to earn a $6.5MM base salary with the Jets in 2017, so while he won’t be able to match that figure with Tennessee, he’ll have the opportunity to come close if he meets all his incentives. While it’s unclear exactly what totals Decker needs to reach in order to unlock his incentives, the bonuses are likely tied to receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and/or the Titans team performance. Because Decker only managed nine receptions for 194 yards last year, any incentives are probably considered “not likely to be earned.”
Decker’s contract stands in contrast to fellow receiver Jeremy Maclin, who received a two-year, $11MM deal from the Ravens. Maclin, 29, is expected to earn $6MM in 2017, and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported that Maclin’s pact doesn’t contain much “funny money.”
Poll: Titans’ Playoff Chances
Little has gone right in recent seasons for the Titans, who are mired in an eight-year playoff drought. But after hitting the nine-win mark for the first time since 2011, scoring more points than they allowed (381 to 378) and narrowly missing out on an AFC South title in 2016, the Titans appear to be trending upward and may enter this season with the best roster in the division.
General manager Jon Robinson has added several notable contributors to the equation since he took the reins in January 2016, with the latest being former Broncos and Jets wide receiver Eric Decker. The Titans signed the veteran red zone threat Sunday, further bolstering an offense that previously nabbed a few pass catchers early in this year’s draft – receiver Corey Davis at No. 5 overall and two third-rounders, wideout Taywan Taylor and tight end Jonnu Smith.
Decker, Davis, Taylor and Smith are part of a unit loaded with skill, as the Marcus Mariota-led attack came into the offseason with prolific tight end Delanie Walker, receivers Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe, and the enviable running back duo of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry already in the fold. Add that to a line which Pro Football Focus ranked as the league’s best last season, and it appears the Titans’ offense is poised to take another step forward after finishing 2016 ninth in DVOA, 11th in total yards and 14th in scoring.
Defensively, Tennessee wasn’t as well off a year ago, placing 24th in DVOA, 20th in yardage and 16th in points. The Titans were particularly woeful against the pass (26th in DVOA, compared to 10th versus the run), so Robinson used the action-packed portions of the offseason to beef up that area of the ‘D’ and give highly regarded coordinator Dick LeBeau more with which to work.
On the first day of free agency in March, the Titans handed lucrative contracts to two of the premier defenders available – former Jaguars safety Jonathan Cyprien and ex-Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan – and then used their other first-rounder (No. 18) on erstwhile USC corner Adoree’ Jackson in April. Although the Titans lost a noteworthy CB in Jason McCourty, whom they released before the draft, it’s inarguable that their secondary looks better than it did last season. Their defensive front could also improve with the signing of ex-Broncos nose tackle Sylvester Williams, a four-year veteran who’s coming off his first 16-start season and will replace the released Al Woods.
It’s clear that the Titans have brought in an array of enticing talent on both sides of the ball this offseason. At the same time, they haven’t lost any indispensable cogs – only role players such as McCourty, Woods, Anthony Fasano, Kendall Wright, and Valentino Blake, among a few others. There’s a case to be made, then, that Titans are the favorites to take the AFC South, which has been a weak division lately and doesn’t include any surefire playoff teams like the Patriots in the AFC East and the Steelers in the AFC North.
While Tennessee’s division rivals – the Colts, Jaguars and the two-time defending champion Texans – may have also gotten better since the end of last season, the additions the Titans made to an already decent foundation could push them over the top in 2017. Alternatively, a wild-card spot might end up in play for the Mike Mularkey-coached Titans, though earning one of those required more victories than winning the AFC South in each of the previous two years.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Titans Waive Bra'Lon Cherry
- The Titans have waived receiver Bra’Lon Cherry, thus creating roster room for newly signed wideout Eric Decker. Cherry joined the Titans last month as an undrafted free agent from North Carolina State, where he combined for 87 catches and six touchdowns over the previous four years.
Eric Decker Had Interest From 5-6 Teams
Over the weekend, the Titans signed Eric Decker to a one-year deal. Before the wide receiver inked his contract in Nashville, he says that he drew interest from five or six teams and had other visits initially scheduled for this week (link via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online). 
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“Mulling over some of my options, I just felt like this was the right fit,’’ Decker said. “Just looking at the roster, and the progress they’ve made over the last few years, and meeting with Jon (Robinson) and Mike (Mularkey), I have a lot of respect for where they came from, their philosophy, how they do things, and that’s something I want to be a part of. “And I am excited about Marcus Mariota and the young talent he is.”
Decker has owned a home in Tennessee since 2012 and says that he used to joke with his wife about how perfect it would be to play for the Titans. When the Jets made the surprising decision to cut Decker, that opened up the door for him to turn the running joke into a reality. He’ll now get to be closer to his family while wife Jessie James Decker, a country singer, continues to pursue her career in Music City.
The Ravens and Browns were connected to Decker, but it’s not clear how serious their level of interest was. The Broncos and Eagles, despite some speculation about their interest in the receiver, were not in pursuit. It’s not clear what other clubs had interest in Decker, but based on what the 30-year-old has said, it sounds like there were at least two more in the mix.
Titans Sign Eric Decker
The Titans have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent wide receiver Eric Decker, according to Paul Kuharsky of Midday 180 (Twitter link).
Decker, 30, becomes the latest addition to a Tennessee offense that has already seen numerous upgrades this offseason. The Titans used the fifth overall selection in April’s draft on Western Michigan wideout Corey Davis, and later drafted West Virginia pass-catcher Taywan Taylor in the third round. Third-rounder Jonnu Smith will pair with veteran Delanie Walker at tight end, while other wide receivers on Tennessee’s depth chart include Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe, and Harry Douglas.
The Jets decided in early June that they would either release or trade Decker after his three seasons in New York, and after holding talks with the Ravens about a potential swap, Gang Green cut ties with Decker last week. In addition to the Titans, the Browns also reportedly had some level of interest in Decker. The Broncos, meanwhile, were not interested in a reunion with Decker, while the Eagles — despite finishing second in the Jeremy Maclin sweepstakes — also weren’t in on Decker.
Decker, who currently lives in the Nashville area, was excellent from 2012-15 with Denver and then New York, as he averaged 82 receptions, 1,085 yards, and 10 touchdowns per year during that span. 2016 was a down season for the seven-year pro, however, as Decker appeared in only three games thanks to a shoulder injury that ultimately landed him on injured reserve. Nine catches, 194 yards, and two touchdowns marked the only production for Decker in his final Jets campaign.