Center Ben Jones is one of the most important pending free agents for the Tennessee Titans to make a decision on this offseason, but said decision shouldn’t be that difficult.
Jones was Tennessee’s best offensive lineman in 2021. With fellow starters upfront struggling with ineffectiveness, injury, or both, he was once again a stabilizing force, both in the passing game and ground attack.
The Georgia product finished with Pro Football Focus grades of 66.3 and 79.9 in pass protection and run-blocking, respectively, both good enough for second-best among the starters along the offensive line.
Adding to that, Jones allowed just one sack, the fewest of any offensive lineman on the team, and his 26 pressures allowed were tied for second-fewest.
While age might be a concern for Jones moving forward (he’s set to turn 33 in July), we’d have to see his decline before we worry about it. After all, not only is Jones still playing at a high level, he’s been as durable as they come, with just one game missed in six seasons in Nashville.
So, what should we expect in a new contract for Jones if the Titans end up giving it to him?
Jones’ last contract extension was a two-year pact worth $13.5 million, which works out to $6.75 million annually. It’s safe to say the veteran will be looking for a raise — and quite frankly, he’s earned it.
PFF estimates that Jones will get a deal of three years and $20 million. That works out to an annual average of $6.67 million, which is actually a bit lower than his previous extension.
We believe it’ll cost a bit more to bring Jones back. Look for him to get a deal of about two or three years that pays him somewhere around $7 to $8 million annually and has a nice chunk of change guaranteed.
If a third year is included in the deal, chances are it won’t have much, if any guaranteed money, seeing as how Jones would be in his aged 35 season and the Titans would likely want an out at that point just in case.
We’d also expect the first-year cap hit to be minimal with Tennessee having limited funds to spare, leaving the biggest cap hit of the contract in Year 2.
Final contract prediction: Two years, $15 million ($11 million guaranteed)
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