The Tennessee Titans were among the most surprising teams in the NFL a year ago, as they made it to the AFC Championship game before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The Titans apparently aren’t worried about if last year was something of a fluke, as they’ve now locked up Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry to big, long-term contracts to lead the offense for years to come. Tannehill got a huge contract with $91 million in guarantees to be the quarterback for the foreseeable future in Tennessee earlier this offseason, and on Wednesday, the Titans and Henry were able to agree on a 4-year, $50 million deal (with half of that guaranteed) to keep their star back in town for years to come and avoid the franchise tag deadline.
Titans and RB Derrick Henry is signing a four-year, $50 million contract that includes $25.5 million guaranteed, source tells ESPN.
In one off-season, the Titans keep both Henry and Ryan Tannehill on long-term deals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 15, 2020
Henry, who led the league in rushing last year, didn’t set the market with his deal, but does get paid like the top backs in the league and gets some security at a position that is rarely afforded that. The Titans put some risk in making a commitment to a running back, but also are locking up one of the league’s truly unique forces — a back with incredible power and speed — that they have effectively built their offense around.
With just two years of guaranteed money, the Titans leave themselves some flexibility, but if Henry continues to play as he did in 2019, he can more than live up to this kind of money.