While the Tennessee Titans are moving in a new direction this year with head coach Brian Callahan, it remains to be seen if the team will do the same at running back.
Derrick Henry is set to become a free agent in a month-plus and his future with the team remains murky. He was asked about that topic while at the Pro Bowl this week but didn’t shed any light on what the future holds for him.
“Any player would want to play for the organization they started with their whole career,” Henry said, per Jim Wyatt. “I think that’s a very unique and special situation, for that to be able happen.
“The whole (coaching) change, I don’t know all the details or what they’re thinking, or the plan for the team, or how they want to move forward as an organization. So we’ll have to see what happens, and I’ll leave it up to God.”
As far as the Titans’ new head coach is concerned, Henry says he has heard good things about Callahan, including from Hall of Fame quarterback, Peyton Manning, who worked with Callahan for four seasons in Denver.
“I’ve heard good things about him,” Henry said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about Brian for sure. It’s an exciting time for the organization right now, and I wish everybody all the best.
“Peyton calls him Cally, and I’m pretty sure that’s what he wants everyone to call him,” he added. “Peyton said he’s a great coach, and that I would love him, and he would love me.
“It was good to hear him and Peyton had a special relationship, because I’m a young Peyton Manning, so I took that very serious.”
RB Derrick Henry @KingHenry_2 talks #Titans, new HC Brian Callahan, his uncertain future and more at the #ProBowlGames on Friday.
🎥 WATCH pic.twitter.com/mVs0B4x6El
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) February 2, 2024
Callahan has heaped praise on Henry since taking the Titans job, and he also left the door open for Tennessee to keep the star back.
“I think a player like Derrick Henry fits in every offense,” Callahan said on 102.5 The Game. “He’s been a remarkable player, he’s been the face of the franchise here for a long time and when you think of the Tennessee Titans, you think of Derrick Henry. He’s earned that.
“If he is open to a return that fits for us, I’m never going to say no to good players. And I know that he’s been an incredible leader in this building as well, which also carries a lot of weight. You can find ways to use every player. There is no offensive system that would say ‘I don’t like to have Derrick Henry here.’
“I certainly think he’s got some gas left in the tank, too. So, we’ll see where that goes. I know he’s going to hit the market probably and try to see what’s out there for him, but I would never say no to a player like that if they would like to return here and it fits for us. I just think he’s such a fantastic person on top of it and he’s meant so much to this city, I would never just dismiss that.”
I tend to believe Henry and the Titans will part ways this offseason as the franchise looks to the future, but never say never.
