FILE - San Francisco 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon waits for the team's NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Santa Clara, Calif., Nov. 28, 2021. The Tennessee Titans have hired San Francisco director of player personnel Ran Carthon as their 14th general manager and first minority for a franchise founded in 1960. The Titans announced the hiring Wednesday morning, Jan. 18, 2023, wrapping up a search that formally started Jan. 12.(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File)
Nashville — The NFL’s deadline for Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and his team to extend the contracts of Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Sean Murphy-Bunting has passed. Because the contracts were not extended and the franchise tag was not deployed, each player’s vacant year will now be accelerated to 2024.
The NFL employs a tactic known as “void years” to equally spread the salary cap hits associated with signing bonuses. Suppose a player agrees to a three-year contract with a $30 million signing bonus. In that situation, the cap hit would be divided into three equal amounts of $10 million each year. Void years are used to add fake years to the contract’s termination, with a maximum of five seasons allowed.
Tannehill’s dead money total is $9.2 million, according to overthecap.com. Dead money is a salary cap charge applied to a player who is no longer on the team’s roster. It seems unlikely that Tannehill will return to the Titans. Al-Shaair’s worth is $2.5 million. He was a powerhouse last season, recording 164 tackles, including 84 solos. He was a key member of the Titans’ defense, and the organization may explore keeping him in the hopes of renegotiating with him in March, when free agency starts. Murphy-Bunting recorded 57 total tackles, eight pass defenses (including two interceptions), and two caused fumbles in 14 games last season. His contract is worth $1.6 million, and the Titans may also re-sign him.
Henry’s amount is $4.7 million, and his case will be the most interesting. The great running back has stated that he intends to pursue free agent opportunities. Callahan and Carthon have both stated that they welcome Henry back, and Henry has frequently indicated a desire to conclude his career with the Titans.
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CBS Sports ranked the Tennessee Titans’ 2023 draft class of Levis, Spears, and Skoronski as the tenth-best in the NFL.
Nashville — Only five NFL teams had worse records than the Tennessee Titans in 2023, but there was a silver lining. CBS Sports ranked the Titans’ draft class as the 10th best in the league. The Titans’ top three picks in general manager Ran Carthon’s inaugural draft — left lineman Peter Skoronski, quarterback Will Levis, and running back Tyjae Spears — all showed promise as starters or first-stringers.
“Skoronski lived up to the expectations as a reliable interior blocker making the switch from tackle to guard in the NFL,” Trapasso said in a statement. “Levis’ flashes were outstanding, just few and far between, and Spears proved to be the running back of the future as a versatile, elusive weapon out of the backfield.”
Levis started nine games last season. He completed 149 of 255 passes (58.4%), totaling 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions, and an 84.2 passing rating. He just told TennesseeTitans.com that he’s eager to step up his game. “For me, it’s about getting well, which I’m getting close to right now, which is a wonderful feeling. “Having my body feel this good after about 25 weeks is really cool,” Levis remarked. “And I am looking forward to just getting my athleticism back a little bit, getting my legs back, and just being able to be more of a (complete) player than I was this past year.”
Last season, Spears rushed for 453 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching 52 receptions for 385 yards and one touchdown.
“Of course, as a rookie, you are not going to have everything down pat your first year,” Spears told TennesseeTitans.com. “So a lot of learning experiences from the year, and the biggest thing going through my mind is details, details, details.”Like, right now, it hits me every day: you are supposed to be here, therefore show not only yourself, but the world, that you are destined to be here. I am quite enthusiastic for what comes next.”
Skoronski made the Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team. “Skoronski’s transition to guard certainly had some hiccups, including early-season injuries, but he showed enough in pass protection to be considered a foundational piece for Tennessee’s offensive line,” according to PFF. Skoronski’s highlights include two consecutive games, in Weeks 11 and 12, in which he had an 85-plus PFF pass-blocking grade. He also committed only one penalty this season.”
