Come May 3, the Tennessee Titans will have to decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option of 2018 first-round pick and linebacker, Rashaan Evans.
While the Titans did make the right move at the time with their last four fifth-year-option decisions, none of those decisions ended up working out the way the team had hoped.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota got benched during the fifth year of his rookie deal, while right tackle Jack Conklin and wide receiver Corey Davis had career years after theirs were declined.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was the last Titan to have his option picked up, but he went on to play in just three games due to injury in 2020 and wasn’t very effective when on the field. He never made it to the fifth year of his rookie deal following his release this offseason.
Next up is Evans, who appears to be heading for the same path that Conklin and Davis had to take, which is having to go through a “prove-it” year after Tennessee declines his option. It remains to be seen if Evans will mimic those players in terms of having a career year, though.
While Evans has no doubt shown flashes of being a solid player and he was impressive in 2019, he definitely took a step back in 2020, no matter how you slice it.
His caliber of play wasn’t what we’ve come to expect, particularly against the run, and he was a penalty machine, leading the Titans with eight, including a Week 1 ejection against the Denver Broncos.
It has gotten to the point where 2019 sixth-round pick and linebacker David Long deserves to have an opportunity to challenge Evans for the starting job next to locked-in starter, linebacker Jayon Brown.
According to Spotrac, Evans would make roughly $9.7 million on the fifth-year option, a price too high to pay for what the Alabama product showed last season, and really, overall during his three years in the NFL.
Not only should the Titans decline Evans’ option, they should also explore trading him. Such a move would guarantee Tennessee some draft capital, while also saving the team about $2 million against the cap.
From there, the Titans could plug Long into the starting job next to Brown and ensure they get something for Evans’ inevitable departure from Nashville.
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