Titans’ Derrick Henry won’t benefit from Christian McCaffrey extension

Derrick Henry doesn’t have as much value as Christian McCaffrey.

There’s no question that Derrick Henry is an important player to keep on the Tennessee Titans roster for seasons to come — so long as his production stays close to the same as it was last year.

After applying the franchise tag to Henry, a lot of questions remain as to what his potential future extension could look like.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey cashed in on Monday, securing a four-year, $64 million extension, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

McCaffrey will be making an average of $16 million per year, higher than the $15 million annual salary owned by Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys.

So running backs can get paid — but does this mean anything for Henry, who is in the midst of trying to get his own long-term deal?

The short answer is no.

Henry’s a big back who has proven he can all but carry the offense by himself after a historical postseason run in 2019, and he brings a lot to the table in his own right.

But he’s not exactly comparable to McCaffrey.

McCaffrey’s durability, level of production, age and versatility all make him a cut above the rest and worthy of this type of payday. He’s a three-down back who has pretty much been just as important in the passing game as he has in the ground game.

Last season, McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and is just the third player in league history to rack up 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same year.

Henry finished out 2019 with the NFL’s rushing title (1,540 yards), but didn’t even touch McCaffrey in the passing game, as he only totaled 206 receiving yards last year — a career-high for him.

There’s no question that Henry deserves to get paid for the integral piece of the team that he is, but he shouldn’t be expected to bring in as much as the Panthers’ rusher does.

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