Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon took the podium on Tuesday for his first-ever NFL Combine press conference in his new role and touched on the future of quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Of course, Tannehill has been a big topic of conversation this offseason, as the Titans could move on from the veteran signal-caller after four seasons.
When asked about Tannehill, Carthon praised the veteran signal-caller and, on the surface, appeared to endorse him as the starter.
“Ryan’s done a great job,” Carthon said, per Chris Harris of WSMV. “Ryan has won a lot of football games, as you guys know. He’s been a diligent worker, he’s been in the building everyday, rehabbing and getting his work in. So, he’s under contract, I’m excited about moving forward with him.”
When pressed further about Tannehill as the starter, Carthon had this to say:
“Ryan is under contract,” Carthon said. “I know everybody wants to make a big deal out of the quarterback position and whether he will or won’t be here, but you guys just have to accept the fact that Ryan is under contract for us and right now, he’s a Titan and he will be a Titan.”
When analyzing all of Carthon’s words, they don’t sound like a 100-percent confirmation that Tannehill is starter.
His noting that Tannehill is “under contract” multiple times and a Titan “right now” seems to suggest this isn’t written in stone.
Although, Carthon saying “he will be a Titan” and “I’m excited about moving forward with him” can certainly be interpreted otherwise, which sends mixed signals.
Carthon wouldn’t comment on Tannehill’s contract and possibly restructuring it, but he did note he hasn’t spoken to the quarterback or his agent about the topic.
When asked about how the Titans will approach the quarterback position this offseason, Carthon said it’ll be no different than any other year or position.
“It’s a process, right? So you have to evaluate everybody at every position every year, and we’ll continue to do that,” Carthon explained. “We’ll continue to stack and rank our quarterbacks, whether it’s free agency, whether it’s the draft, because you’ve got to always look for options at every position every year. You can’t settle, and we all know that the quarterback position is seen as one of the top positions in our league, so you’ve always got to have one… so, you’ve got to be good at that position from top to bottom, however how many you decide to keep.”
We’re at a point in the offseason where there are so many smokescreens, and teams are trying their hardest not to tip their hand. I think this was Carthon doing that rather than confirming Tannehill is the starter for 2023.
I’ve said all along I think Tannehill will be here in 2023, but I also don’t think the Titans have fully made their minds up yet.
