Tag: Lloyd Cushenberry

Full breakdown of Lloyd Cushenberry’s contract with Titans

A look at the details of Lloyd Cushenberry’s contract with the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans added massive upgrade at the center position in free agency when the team inked former Denver Broncos center, Lloyd Cushenberry.

Cushenberry landed himself a massive four-year, $50 million deal that places him tied for second among centers in terms of annual average ($12.5 million), according to Over the Cap.

The deal also includes an $18 million signing bonus and $20 million in first-year cash — both of which are records for the position — and $26 million fully guaranteed, the second-most for a center in league history.

Here’s a look at the full breakdown, per Over the Cap:

Via Over the Cap

As was the case with Calvin Ridley’s contract, the deal is friendly to the cap in Year 1, with Cushenberry accounting for just $6.4 million.

The cap hit more than doubles after that, but there is a fairly reasonable out in Year 3 if things really go south, as cutting him would lead to a $9.05 million dead-cap charge if done pre-June 1, and a $4.5 million dead-cap hit if post-June 1. Tennessee would save $3.4 million or $8 million, respectively.

Cutting Cush in the final year of the contract would leave the Titans with just a $4.5 million dead-cap charge and net them a savings of $12 million.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to any of that, though, and Cushenberry proves to be the long-term solution Tennessee needs.

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Lloyd Cushenberry: Bill Callahan a big reason I chose Titans in free agency

The opportunity to learn under Bill Callahan made the Titans attractive to center Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency.

New Tennessee Titans center Lloyd Cushenberry had 50 million reasons to join the team in free agency — well, 50 million and one.

During his introductory press conference on Thursday, Cushenberry revealed that the chance to learn under esteemed offensive line coach Bill Callahan was a big reason to come to Nashville.

“Bill Callahan,” Cushenberry replied when asked what attracted him to the Titans, per Terry McCormick of Titan Insider. “His resume speaks for itself. He’s coached a lot of great guys, and I’ve heard a lot of great things about him. I think it’s a good opportunity for me to continue to grow my game and take the next step as a player.”

Callahan won’t be the first highly-respected offensive line coach Cushenberry will work under, as he also spent time learning from former Titans head coach and offensive line coach, Mike Munchak, during his days in Denver

“Coach Munch was amazing, and I see a lot of similarities to what Callahan is teaching,” he said. “Coming in, he helped me a lay a great foundation and since that point, every year I’ve gotten better, and that’s what I want to continue to do.”

Cushenberry, who was one of the best centers available in free agency, will be a massive upgrade for Tennessee under center. It stands to reason he could get even better under Callahan’s tutelage.

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Titans’ updated cap space after first wave of signings

The Titans’ cap space situation after their first wave of signings.

The Tennessee Titans have made a slew of moves in free agency so far, with the team bringing back some of its own free agents, as well as signing some outside free agents.

Knowing that, it’s time to check in on what the Titans’ salary cap situation is, seeing as how they still have more moves to make.

According to Spotrac, the Titans have $52.1 million in top-51 cap space, the third-most in the NFL. Over the Cap has a slightly lower number, coming in at $48.1 million, which is also the third-most in the league based on their totals.

It’s important to note, however, that neither site includes the deals of Kenneth Murray or Saahdiq Charles yet, so the figures listed are higher than they actually are.

Regardless, the Titans still have plenty of cap space to make more big moves, if they so choose.

One reason the Titans have been able to sign all the players they have and still have a lot of cap space is because the first-year cap hits of some of the contracts are very low.

For example: Calvin Ridley’s four-year, $92 million deal has a first-year cap charge of just $10 million, per Over the Cap. Lloyd Cushenberry’s four-year, $50 million deal will cost just $6.4 million against the cap in Year 1.

It’s true, those cap numbers will certainly rise in the years ahead, but that will be in tandem with the rise of the league’s salary cap in general, so the Titans will be able to absorb them much easier.

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Titans C Lloyd Cushenberry endorses the ‘Cush Push’

Center Lloyd Cushenberry is a fan of calling the Titans’ version of the “Tush Push” the “Cush Push”.

With the Philadelphia Eagles’ “Tush Push” being all the rage last season, Tennessee Titans fans have found a way to put their own spin on it following the signing of former Denver Broncos center, Lloyd Cushenberry.

After the Titans inked the veteran center to a four-year, $50 million deal in free agency, fans were floating the idea of calling the play “The Cush Push” should Tennessee run it.

And that’s something Cushenberry endorses, as he revealed in a video posted by the Titans’ social media team after he was introduced via press conference on Thursday.

“I would love that,” Cushenberry said with a smile. “The Cush Push. It has a nice ring to it and that sounds good to me.”

Cushenberry is one of several moves the Titans have made thus far in free agency, but his addition is arguably the biggest, as he provides a massive upgrade for Tennessee’s offensive line.

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What is the Broncos’ plan at center after losing Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency?

After losing Lloyd Cushenberry to the Titans, the Broncos have two in-house candidates (Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg) to replace him.

The Denver Broncos will need a new starting center in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign Broncos pending free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry after the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday. Cushenberry had the best season of his career last year in Denver.

All four of the team’s other starting offensive linemen — Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz and Mike McGlinchey — are set to return in 2024, but the Broncos will now need to find a replacement in the middle.

Denver has two in-house candidates in Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth. The Broncos could also consider moving Meinerz to center and then starting a different guard, but that seems unlikely.

Wattenberg (6-4, 300 pounds) is a 26-year-old lineman who was drafted by Denver in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He has dressed for 23 games over the last two seasons as a backup swing guard/center, starting one game (at guard) in 2022.

Forsyth (6-4, 312 pounds) is a 25-year-old lineman who was picked by the Broncos in the seventh round of last year’s draft. He was inactive for all 17 games as a rookie last season, but Forsyth was highly touted coming out of college. Earlier this year, general manager George Paton said the team views Forsyth as a starter in the NFL.

Based on that remark from Paton and Wattenberg’s history at guard, Forsyth might be the early in-house favorite to replace Cushenberry. Denver might still bring in more competition, but at the moment, Forsyth are Wattenberg appear set to compete for the starting center job in 2024.

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Grade for Titans’ expected signing of C Lloyd Cushenberry

How we graded the Titans’ expected signing of center Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency.

In what might be their best free-agent move thus far, the Tennessee Titans are set to make a massive addition to their offensive line with the expected signing of former Denver Broncos center, Lloyd Cushenberry.

The best part about Cushenberry is the fact that he’s a huge upgrade over Aaron Brewer in terms of pass protection. The LSU product gave up one sack and 14 pressures last season, as compared to Brewer’s six sacks surrendered and 34 total pressures.

Cushenberry is better known for his pass protection, but he is a solid run-blocker, also. The 26-year-old posted a Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade of 72.4 in 2023, just 6.3 points lower than Brewer.

On top of his raw numbers, Cushenberry brings a smart veteran presence to the middle of the offensive line, which will be invaluable to the likes of left guard Peter Skoronski and quarterback Will Levis.

As far as the compensation is concerned, he’s getting a four-year deal worth $50 million, with $26 million guaranteed at signing, per PFF’s Brad Spielberger.

That’s an annual average of $12.5 million, which ranks tied for second among centers now that Jason Kelce and Ryan Jensen have retired, per Spotrac.

He’s also getting a signing bonus of $18 million, and the first-year cash ($20 million) and guaranteed money are all records for the position.

That is a sizeable deal for a center, but it’s not egregious. The Titans needed to be aggressive in their pursuit of one of the best center options on the market, and in the end they were and got the job done.

Grade: A+

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Titans expected to sign Lloyd Cushenberry to 4-year, $50 million contract

The Titans are expected to sign Broncos free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry, leaving Denver with Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth.

The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign Denver Broncos pending free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports first reported on Monday. The deal will not become official until the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday.

The Titans will pay Cushenberry $50 million over the next four years with $30 million guaranteed, according to Brad Spielberger of ProFootballFocus.com. That’s much more than Denver can afford.

Cushenberry (6-4, 315 pounds) entered the league as a third-round pick out of LSU in 2020. He started all 16 games in 2020 and 2021 and he began 2022 as the team’s starter before suffering a groin injury eight games into the season.

Cushenberry returned from that injury in 2023 and started all 17 games and had a career year, allowing just one sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

Cushenberry earned just over $4.5 million on his rookie contract with the Broncos from 2020-2023. He’s now set to get a massive raise.

Following Cushenberry’s departure, the Broncos are left with centers Luke Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick in 2022, and Alex Forsyth, a seventh-round pick in 2023. Wattenberg has dressed for 23 games over the last two seasons as a backup swing guard/center. He started one game in 2022. Forsyth was inactive for all 17 games of his rookie season last year, but GM George Paton has said the team views Forsyth as an NFL starter.

Denver will presumably go into training camp this summer with Wattenberg and Forsyth set to compete for the starting center job.

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Titans expected to sign center Lloyd Cushenberry

The Titans are closing in on a deal to sign center Lloyd Cushenberry.

The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign former Denver Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.

Per Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, Cushenberry is getting a four-year deal worth $50 million, with $26 million guaranteed at signing and $30 million guaranteed overall.

The annual average ranks third among centers, and his $18 million signing bonus, $26 million guaranteed and $20 million in Year 1 cash are all-time records for the position, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Cushenberry, a former third-round pick in 2020, started immediately at center as a rookie. While Cushenberry had his rookie struggles, he’s since developed into a solid starting center for Denver despite three different coaching staffs in the past four years.

He has started every game in three of his four seasons — the exception coming in 2022 when he landed on injured reserve with a groin strain, missing half of the season.

Coming off that injury, Cushenberry started every single game at center for the Broncos in 2023.

Cushenberry has always been better in pass protection than run blocking, but he stepped up his game with a career year in 2023. Cushenberry continued to thrive as one of the league’s better pass blocking centers (earning a 76.4 PFF grade) — allowing just one sack all season — and he made an improvement in run blocking (72.4 PFF grade).

This is a massive get for the Titans, as Cushenberry was one of the very best options at center on the free-agent market and presents a major upgrade in pass protection over Aaron Brewer.

Not to mention, having a talented veteran at the position to help a young signal-caller like Will Levis call the shots on offense is a huge asset for Tennessee.

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3 starters Broncos could lose in free agency

With free agency about a week away, Lloyd Cushenberry seems like the Broncos’ most likely free agent to draw big interest from other clubs.

The official start of NFL free agency (March 13) is nearly one week away and the Denver Broncos still have work to do to get under the salary cap.

When the Broncos have some cap space to spare, the team will undoubtedly re-sign some of their in-house free agents, but Denver won’t be able to keep all of them.

The Broncos’ five biggest free agents this spring are arguably center Lloyd Cushenberry, linebacker Josey Jewell, tight end Adam Trautman, safety P.J. Locke and kicker Wil Lutz. Denver seems likely to lose a few of them.

Trautman and Lutz shouldn’t be too difficult to re-sign, but Cushenberry is expected to draw serious interest on the open market. The Broncos probably can’t afford to match the kind of offers Cushenberry will receive from other clubs.

The markets for Jewell and Locke are less certain. Jewell is a proven starter so he should draw decent interest. Locke only has eight career starts on his resume, so that might make it easier to bring him back.

As Denver prepares for the start of free agency, Cushenberry, Jewell and Locke appear to be the club’s three in-house free agents with the biggest risk of leaving the team for a better offer elsewhere.

Stay or go: Predicting the fates of all 16 Broncos free agents

We make stay or go predictions for all 16 of the Broncos’ in-house 2024 free agents.

NFL free agency does not officially start until the new league year begins on March 13 — teams can officially sign pending free agents from other teams on that date.

Two days earlier, the “legal tampering” window will open on March 11, allowing teams to negotiate with pending free agents from other clubs. Teams and players can reach verbal agreements, but no contracts can be officially signed until March 13.

The Denver Broncos have 16 in-house free agents who will be allowed to negotiate with other teams starting one week from today. Denver can prevent some of their in-house free agents from hitting the open market by giving contract extensions to select players before March 11.

Not everyone will stick around, though. Some players the Broncos will choose to let walk, and other players will be too costly for Denver (the team is about $14 million over the salary cap at the time of publication).

So, which players will the Broncos re-sign? Check out our stay or go predictions for Denver’s 2024 free agent class below.