Super Bowl contenders will be on red alert after the Tennessee Titans placed superstar running back Derrick Henry on the trade block.
Henry has been the NFL’s premier back over the past few years, developing a fierce reputation as offensive royalty after he earned the nickname ‘King Henry’ thanks to his enormous stature and imposing rushing style. The 29-year-old is also one of eight players to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
It is one of a number of accolades Henry has collected since he graced the NFL when the Titans selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft. He is a First-team All-Pro (2020), Second-team All-Pro (2019), three-time Pro Bowler as well as the rushing yards and rushing touchdowns leader in both 2019 and 2020, along with the 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Ultimately, Henry is arguably the best running back of his generation - but the Titans appear to be willing to let him leave his kingdom of Tennessee. It could be to do with his production; in 2022, Henry rushed for 1,533 yards on 349 carries to go with 33 receptions for 398 yards and 13 total touchdowns but his yards per carry average dropped a full yard from 5.4 in 2020 to 4.4 last season.
After signing a four-year deal worth $50million over four years in July 2020 (including $25.5m in guaranteed money), Henry is due a base salary of $10.5m this season - although none of this is guaranteed. If the Titans were to trade the King, they’d save just under $6.3m on their salary cap in 2023, the price the acquiring team would be responsible in taking.
If traded, the Titans would incur a dead-cap hit of $10.1 million in 2023 but the minimal hit for an acquiring team would undoubtedly be enticing to a contender in need of a game-changing back. The Buffalo Bills are one such franchise after the inquired about Christian McCaffrey before he moved to the San Francisco 49ers.
Dealing one of the best players in franchise history would be difficult for fans to get on board with, but with Henry ageing and the Titans possibly looking to re-tool their roster, the move makes some sense. Henry has been a fan favourite while dominating NFL defences as a former second round pick out of Alabama from the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Titans spectacularly earned the AFC’s first seed in 2021, but the franchise acted more like a rebuilding outfit by trading star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he thrived and reached Super Bowl LVII. It seems Henry might be the next on the way out, with the back joining Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey among the future Hall of Famers who could be traded this offseason.
