Tag: Tennessee Titans

Where Calvin Ridley’s contract ranks after Amon-Ra St. Brown extension

Calvin Ridley’s contract dropped on the list of the highest-paid WRs after Amon-Ra St. Brown’s extension.

When the Tennessee Titans signed wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year contract worth $92 million that included $46.9 million guaranteed, they received no shortage of criticism for the deal.

However, as was predicted, Ridley’s contract is quickly falling down the list of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL after some recent extensions.

First, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith got his bag, inking a three-year, $75 million deal, exceeding Ridley’s in terms of annual average.

Then, on Wednesday, Detroit Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown blew Ridley’s deal out of the water completely when he reportedly signed a four-year deal worth more than $120 million, including $77 million guaranteed.

With those two deals, Ridley has now fallen to No. 11 in annual average, No. 3 in fully guaranteed money, and No. 6 in total value, per Over the Cap.

And, bear in mind, guys like Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are set to get theirs in the near future.

With the kinds of deals being handed out to wide receivers now, Ridley’s deal is looking more and more like a bargain with each passing day.

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Titans receiving interest for No. 7 pick but won’t move if certain players are still on the board

Titans GM Ran Carthon said the team has received interest for the No. 7 pick, but if certain players are available, he won’t move off that spot.

As speculation about the Tennessee Titans trading back from the No. 7 overall pick has heated up in the last few months, the team has indeed received interest about their first-round selection.

Titans general manager Ran Carthon acknowledged that teams have inquired about the selection, which comes as no surprise with all teams doing their due diligence at this time of the year.

However, Carthon also stated that there are players who the Titans would stick and pick for, no matter what is offered.

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“People are nosy,” Carthon joked, according to ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “And I think we owe it to our organization, I owe it to Coach Callahan and his staff to listen to all calls, no matter where they fall, just to see if it’s anything enticing, if it’s anything that’s going to blow us away to make us really want to trade back. But we’re just listening at this point.”

“Short answer: Yes,” Carthon replied when asked if there are players that would stop him from trading back.

Who those players are remains to be seen, but if I had to guess, the list would include Joe Alt, Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.

The only round the Titans don’t have a pick in is the third. When asked about getting back into that round, Carthon said the team is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“It’s easy to project trying to get back in or out of a round, but you’ve got to have partners,” Carthon said, per Paul Kuharsky. “And so we won’t know if we have a partner until we’re on the clock. Whenever we’re on the clock, we’re going to listen to see where the value is. Of course, you’d always like to add more draft picks if you can, but you’ve got to have a partner and it’s got to make sense.”

What are Titans’ 2024 NFL draft picks worth on trade value chart?

A look at the value of the Titans’ 2024 NFL draft picks based on the trade value chart.

When it comes to trading draft picks, something the Tennessee Titans could very well do in the 2024 NFL draft, the trade value chart is a good way to gauge just how good or bad a deal is.

The trade value chart originated with former Dallas Cowboys and Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson, who placed a number value on picks.

Since then, the chart has seen different iterations, but the latest and best comes from Rich Hill of Pats Pulpit, who factors in values for the compensatory picks handed out.

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Here’s a look at the value for each of the Titans’ 2024 draft picks based on Hill’s model:

Round 1, Pick 7: 426

Round 2, Pick 38: 157

Round 4, Pick 106: 32

Round 5, Pick 146: 13

Round 6, Pick 182: 7

Round 7, Pick 242: 1

Round 7, Pick 252: 1

Total value: 637

The most talked about trade scenario for the Titans has been a move back from No. 7 overall in the first round. Based on the trade value chart, a team looking to move up to the Titans’ pick would have to offer selections that equal or are around a value of 426.

So, let’s say the New York Jets are looking to move up from No. 10 to No. 7. New York would have to give Tennessee its first (369) and third (67) for the trade to make sense.

Of course, the trade value chart does not factor in competition from multiple teams looking to move up that could increase the cost of such a deal. Still, you get the idea.

This is important to note because if the Titans are faced with a board that doesn’t have Joe Alt or one of the top-three receivers available, a trade back is very realistic.

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Titans CB L’Jarius Sneed believes the best is yet to come

Titans CB L’Jarius Sneed believes the best season of his career is still ahead of him.

Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed accomplished quite a bit during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not only did he become one of the very best players at his position in the NFL — it’s crazy he doesn’t have a single All-Pro or Pro Bowl nod, but I digress — he also won a pair of Super Bowls.

For his efforts, Sneed was rewarded with a massive four-year, $76.4 million deal after being traded from the Chiefs to the Titans, which pays him like the elite cornerback he is.

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But none of that has stopped Sneed from staying hungry. In fact, he believes the best is yet to come and that his first season with the Titans will be the greatest of his career.

With the amount they’ve invested in him, the Titans certainly hope so. Sneed will be one-third of a starting group that also includes free-agent signing Chidobe Awuzie and 2022 second-round pick, Roger McCreary.

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Titans showing ‘heavy interest’ in Virginia Tech DL Norell Pollard

The Titans are reportedly showing “heavy interest” in Virginia Tech DL Norell Pollard.

As we outlined in our offseason roster breakdown for the Tennessee Titans’ defense, one of the weakest position groups on the team currently is the defensive line.

Tennessee has just two starting-caliber players in the group, including Jeffery Simmons and Sebastian Joseph-Day. However, the team lost Denico Autry and hasn’t added to the position outside of the SJD signing.

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Knowing that, it comes as no surprise that the Titans are showing interest in defensive linemen in this year’s draft, with one of them being Virginia Tech defensive lineman, Norell Pollard, who the team is showing “heavy interest” in, per Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com.

At 6-foot and 283 pounds, Pollard is undersized for an interior player, but he does possess impressive athleticism for the position, posting a 4.8 40-yard dash and a vertical of 33.5 inches.

If the Titans do land Pollard later this week, it’ll likely be as a late-round draft pick or undrafted free-agent signing.

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Titans’ NFL draft record could be broken in 2024

The Titans made NFL draft history when they took Bishop Sankey in 2014, but that record could be broken in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans drafted running back Bishop Sankey out of Washington in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, and at the time it set a record that still stands today.

When Sankey was taken with the No. 54 overall pick, it was the latest the first running back has ever come off the board in the draft in NFL history.

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But that record has a chance to be broken this year, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that no running back is expected to be drafted until the middle of the second round.

Unlike last year, when two running backs were drafted in Round 1, no RBs are expected to be selected Thursday night. In fact, this draft could set a mark of a different sort. It could challenge the record for the latest the first running back has been selected, which stands at No. 54 in the 2014 draft, when the Titans picked Bishop Sankey. The top running backs in the 2024 class are considered to be Brooks, Jaylen Wright (Tennessee), Blake Corum (Michigan) and Trey Benson (Florida State). Many expect the first back to be selected in the middle of Round 2.

Unfortunately for the Titans, the record is the most notable thing to come out of drafting Sankey, who played in just 29 games over two seasons before not playing another snap in the league.

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Should Titans do this suggested first-round trade with Cardinals?

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently suggested a trade up for the Titans in the first round. Is it something the team should consider?

When it comes to the Tennessee Titans trading their first-round pick, all of the conversation has been about general manager Ran Carthon trading back, not up.

But ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently explored a trade-up scenario for the Titans that has them dealing pick Nos. 7 and 38 (second round) and wide receiver Treylon Burks to the Arizona Cardinals for pick Nos. 4 and 90 (third round).

Barnwell argues that the Titans might have to move ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 overall if they want Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt.

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His reasoning comes from the fact that Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh “has been publicly hankering for offensive line help, even given that he has building block Rashawn Slater on the left side.”

Moving up to No. 4 would ensure the Titans Alt, a player they desperately need. But, it comes at the expense of a second-round pick, something they can ill-afford to give up in the roster-building process. The addition of the third-round pick softens the blow a bit, but not nearly enough.

Not to mention, this year’s class is incredibly deep at the position, something Carthon has stressed repeatedly. Thus, if the Titans miss out on Alt because he goes a few picks before them, they can still land an impact player at the position after a trade back.

I’m indifferent about trading Treylon Burks, but he should not be included in a deal where the value of the Titans’ picks (583) are 47 points higher than the Cardinals’ (536).

Tennessee should be standing pat at No. 7 and hoping for Alt to be there. If he isn’t, I’d be fine with one of the top-three receivers or a trade back. But trading up in the first round is not something the Titans should be considering.

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The 3 prospects mocked to Titans the most ahead of 2024 NFL draft

With just days to go until the 2024 NFL draft, a look at the prospects who have been mocked to the Titans the most.

When it comes to the Tennessee Titans’ No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the majority of mocks have had the Titans taking Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt. But who else has been commonly mocked to Tennessee?

According to NFL Mock Draft Database, there’s a wide gap between Alt and the other two choices, Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu and LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

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Here’s the percentage of mocks that have them going to the Titans:

OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame: 58.4%

OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State: 19.1%

WR Malik Nabers: 4.3%

Other: 18.2%

With left tackle being the Titans’ biggest need, it comes as no surprise that Alt and Fashanu are the top two. Nabers is another logical choice, as the Titans still need more help at the position and a long-term solution on the outside.

While Alt and Nabers are realistic options for the Titans at No. 7, Fashanu figures to be a target for Tennessee if they trade back.

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Where Titans’ Jeffery Simmons finished in ‘The Catch’ fishing competition

Come for Big Jeff’s results, stay for the video of Jameis Winston interviewing a fish.

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons took part in a sport fishing competition and his team actually did well.

Simmons teamed up with Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White and a pair of sport fishing pros in the Sport Fishing Championship’s “The Catch” on Saturday and placed second. Simmons and White were on Team Ineos Grenadier.

Simmons’ squad totaled 400 points (don’t ask me how), finishing 100 points behind Team Verizon, which sported NFL running backs Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and Raheem Mostert of the Miami Dolphins.

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Unfortunately, after scouring social media for any semblance of a photo or video featuring Big Jeff fishing, my attempts failed. The only video available was Simmons talking prior to the event.

However, what I can offer you is video of Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston interviewing a fish. No, seriously.

It would have been fun to see Big Jeff fishing. Oh well.

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Should Titans avoid Georgia TE Brock Bowers in the 2024 NFL draft?

One Bleacher Report writer believes the Titans should avoid Georgia TE Brock Bowers in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans have multiple avenues they can take when it comes to their No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but taking Georgia’s Brock Bowers should not be one of them.

And that’s something Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine agrees with, as he names the Georgia tight end the one prospect Tennessee should avoid in the draft. Here’s his write-up:

This draft class is stocked with quarterbacks, receivers and offensive tackles. The Titans don’t need a quarterback after spending a second-round pick on Will Levis last year, but they’d likely regret passing on one of the top three receivers or tackles in this draft to take Bowers.

The only way the Titans should come away with Bowers in the first round is after a trade back from No. 7, and the only way they should be trading back is if Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt AND the top-three receivers are off the board. But a tackle, not Bowers, should be the first target if Tennessee ends up moving back.

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If, for some reason, all of the tackles worthy of a pick in the teens are gone after a Titans trade back, then we can have a conversation about Bowers, but even then, history shows taking a tight end in the first round doesn’t typically yield the best results.

It’s not impossible that the Titans end up with Bowers when it’s all said and done, but he isn’t anywhere near the top of the list of players the team should be targeting on Day 1.

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