As soon as the NFL offseason hit, the Tennessee Titans shifted their focus to the big decisions this team needs to make in 2023 in order to improve a squad that was terribly disappointing in 2022.
As is always the case, fans will aim high when it comes to figuring out how the team will plug holes, and sometimes those dreams comes true, as was the case in 2021 with Julio Jones, who ultimately turned out to be a disaster.
Despite the Jones debacle, we’re back to aiming high in 2023, and there are some really intriguing names to discuss when doing so.
One potential roadblock for any significant moves is the team’s salary cap situation.
Tennessee is over the cap by $21 million, and even if the Titans part ways with all of their biggest cut candidates (including Ryan Tannehill), the team would still only have about $45 million in cap space before restructures, etc.
That’s not chump change, but it’s also not a ton when you consider everything that needs to be addressed. Even still, that figures to be enough to make at least one big-splash move, which is all we’d likely get anyway out of the following list of players.
Note: salary figures are courtesy of Spotrac and CBS Sports’ Joel Corry.
Trade for QB Aaron Rodgers
It isn’t clear if the Titans are going to move on from Ryan Tannehill or not, but if they do it should be for an upgrade, as it would make no sense for Tennessee to pay two quarterbacks of similar talent level.
Lamar Jackson is set to be a free agent and would be an upgrade in my book, but the Ravens will slap the franchise tag on him and trade him before ever letting him walk.
Adding to that, they wouldn’t trade him to Tennessee, not in a million years.
While some might argue with me on this, Aaron Rodgers would present an upgrade for Tennessee, also, and that’s where the list ends. Rodgers is still under contract, so the Titans would have to trade for him, but it appears Green Bay is, at the very least, considering it.
If the Titans traded for Rodgers, they’d owe him $15.79 million in 2023. If you combine that with Tannehill’s $18.8 million in dead cap, that works out to Tennessee paying $34.59 million between the two, which isn’t bad.
Rodgers then has an option on his deal Tennessee could choose to pick up that would pay him $32.5, $51.1 and $45.2 million in 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively before any kind of potential restructure or extension.
As exciting as it would be to trade for a future Hall of Fame quarterback like Rodgers, there are so many roadblocks here.
For starters, the Packers might be looking for at least a pair of first-round selections, and it could end up costing more with other teams vying for Rodgers’ services.
That’s a hefty price to pay when you consider the situation with the veteran quarterback. Rodgers will be 40 in December and isn’t even sure if he’ll play this year, let alone in 2024 and beyond.
Adding to that, we don’t know if Rodgers is in the midst of a decline or not. Granted, his down year can be blamed on a lot of things (new receivers, bad offensive line, injury), but his overall performance is definitely one of them.
If the Titans are interested in Rodgers, we don’t even know if he’d want to come to Tennessee. After all, the Titans need a ton of work on their offensive line and at wide receiver, something Rodgers will no doubt be wary of.
Not to mention, two of the team’s best weapons in the passing game, Chig Okonkwo and Treylon Burks, are second-year players and Rodgers doesn’t exactly have a positive history with young pass-catchers.
Even if you put all that aside, there figures to be plenty of competition for his services, with the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders being in the mix. Both teams have better situations on offense than Tennessee, also.
Trade for WR DeAndre Hopkins
Imagine having Burks and Chig running free while opposing defenses focus on stopping an elite receiver added to the offense. That would be the case if Tennessee trades for DeAndre Hopkins, who might be available.
Even as he approaches the age of 31, Hopkins is still playing at a high level and figures to have a few more good years left in the tank. Adding him would no doubt be the biggest possible move Tennessee can make to improve a receiving corps. that was among the worst in the NFL in 2022.
The Titans would owe Hopkins $19.45 million in 2023 and $14.9 million in 2024, which is certainly reasonable given the rising prices for wide receivers.
Many believe Hopkins would want an extension after being traded, and while that’s possible, it’s not like he has a ton of leverage to get one, as his deal no longer has a no-trade clause following his PED suspension in 2022.
It wouldn’t be crazy to give him an extension if acquired, but it can’t be one Tennessee is locked into beyond 2024. After all, we know how things go with aging, high-profile wideouts in Nashville.
It has been estimated that Hopkins could be had for a Day 2 pick. If so, it’s a no-brainer Tennessee should be in on Hopkins.
Of the other potential moves listed here, I think this is one of the more realistic ones, but as is the case with all of these moves, Tennessee will have plenty of competition for Hopkins’ services.
Sign or trade for LT Orlando Brown
Orlando Brown is the best left tackle who is technically set to be a free agent in 2023, but the problem is he’s never going to reach the open market.
Assuming the Chiefs can’t reach a long-term agreement with the star left tackle, the team will simply franchise tag him to give itself more time.
Maybe more time leads to an extension, maybe not, but if not the Chiefs can just trade him.
If that all plays out, chances are slim the Chiefs would be willing to deal him within the same conference, and they’re even slimmer for Kansas City to deal him to a team it has had quite a history with the last handful of years.
The 26-year-old is exactly the kind of surefire solution the Titans need at left tackle. Unfortunately, they won’t get a chance to bring him in.
Trade for CB Jalen Ramsey
Neither Jalen Ramsey nor Rams COO Kevin Demoff would rule out him being traded this offseason, so let the games begin.
According to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, the Rams would likely be looking for a first-round pick in exchange for Ramsey. While a high price to pay in terms of draft capital, Ramsey’s remaining contract isn’t that bad for one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
The Titans would be on the hook for $17 million in 2023 and $14.5 million in 2024. The deal runs through 2025, but Ramsey can be cut with a dead-cap hit of just $3.2 million that year. If kept, he’d make $15.5 million.
While the Titans have a lot of promise in their young secondary, they can’t promise the group will stay healthy and perform. After all, the unit has been one of the most devastated when it comes to injuries the past few years.
Adding Ramsey would provide the Titans a reliable and instant upgrade that gives defensive coordinator Shane Bowen limitless options with how he can deploy what would be an incredibly versatile secondary.
Like the Hopkins move, this is one I could actually see the Titans making, and Ramsey would likely be open to it as well. The Tennessee native once picked the Titans as one of his preferred destinations before being dealt to Los Angeles.
Trade up to No. 1 pick for a QB
It’s no secret the Titans are on the lookout for their next franchise quarterback as they at least prepare to transition out of the Ryan Tannehill era, which could end as soon as this year, but could also extend through it.
Tennessee had hoped Malik Willis was that guy, but after a lackluster rookie campaign that saw him make three starts, there are serious doubts about his future viability.
At No. 11 overall, the Titans are barely in striking distance to trade up and go after either CJ Stroud or Bryce Young, and I mean barely.
There are at least three or four quarterback-needy teams in front of the Titans that have the better capital to offer up to the Bears. Tennessee would have to truly blow Chicago away with a package that would likely have to involve Jeffery Simmons. That is not happening.
The only way the Titans get their hands on one of the top quarterbacks in this draft is if they fall to No. 11, or shortly before that where Tennessee is in a better position to make a deal to move up.
