There was no shortage of debate about what the Tennessee Titans should do with Derrick Henry in 2023, with one side believing the team should trade him and the other believing Tennessee should keep him.
As it turned out, the Titans ended up doing the latter, which cost them much-needed draft capital ahead of an offseason in which the team is set to rebuild.
While the Titans ultimately didn’t pull the trigger, it looks like a Henry trade was close to happening. During a recent appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Henry revealed that a trade was “close.”
He added that two teams who are currently in the playoffs were interested but he did not reveal exactly what teams were involved. When pressed further, Henry admitted they were both in the AFC.
“Yeah, I know two for sure,” Henry said. “The other one, I don’t know if that would have happened. But one of them, I felt like it was pretty close. A lot went down between … that little saga with the trade.”
The reality that he could be traded really hit Henry after the team dealt safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“When they traded (Byard), I was just like ‘dang,’” he said. “They trade KB, I might be out of here too. When you think of a Titan, KB represents all of that.”
Henry is set to hit free agency in 2024 and he has sure sounded and acted like someone who doesn’t expect to be back.
He did say the door isn’t closed on his return, but he also noted how the team is moving in a different direction, especially after the firing of former head coach Mike Vrabel.
Making it more unlikely he doesn’t return, Henry once again reiterated how much the chance to win a Super Bowl will factor into where he plays in 2024, which will be a major roadblock for a possible reunion.
“I’m not saying (the door is closed) but I just feel like they’re going in a different direction,” Henry said. “I feel like (the firing of Mike Vrabel) definitely solidified that.
“And that’s OK, that happens. That’s the nature of the business. We want something to last forever. Nothing does, especially in this business.”
“I’ll always be a Titan, even if I don’t come back,” he added. “But, at the end of the day, I want to win the Super Bowl and wherever that is that gives me the best chance, that’s what I want to do.”
