As we saw with Ben Jones and Kevin Byard in 2019, the Tennessee Titans aren’t afraid to lock up some of their more important players before their free-agent year.
Both Jones and Byard were signed to contract extensions prior to last season, with Byard’s in particular being quite a hefty sum of money.
Will we see more extensions handed out this offseason?
Who knows, but there are four players Tennessee could explore extensions with before they hit free agency in 2021.
Derrick Henry
The is the most obvious one. Henry is currently set to play the 2020 season out on the franchise tag, making $10.2 million. However, both sides plan on continuing to work on a long-term deal through the summer.
Getting something worked out could provide the Titans with immediate cap relief if Henry’s average salary number is less than the franchise tag. On the flip side, Henry would have the long-term security he’s looking for.
One way or the other, I believe something gets done with Henry to keep him in Nashville for the long haul because he is incredibly important to a Titans offense that thrives off of play-action.