The Titans have had a hectic week, which started with trading wide receiver A.J. Brown and continued with taking quarterback Malik Willis in the draft.
That continued Tuesday when quarterback Ryan Tannehill expressed his disappointment with the Brown trade and explained that it is not his job to mentor Willis. However, while Tannehill may be confident in his role as the starting quarterback, the team doesn’t seem to agree.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, before the Titans drafted Willis in the third round, Tennessee explored the possibility of trading for Aaron Rodgers or Deshaun Watson.
“There is a lot riding on this season for Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans,” Schefter said on NFL Live. “They were dipping their toes in on Aaron Rodgers during the offseason before he re-signed in Green Bay. They checked in on Deshaun Watson and found that he wouldn’t be traded in the division.”
Schefter mentioned by adding Willis instead of a proven veteran, the Titans can use this season to evaluate whether Tannehill is the right quarterback to remain the leader of the team.
“This gives Tennessee one year to bring in Malik Willis, to get to know his game, to bring him along, to grow him, while it sees what it has from Ryan Tannehill,” he said.
These quarterback questions are due to a disappointing season from Tannehill and the Titans. Despite a 12–5 season which earned them the top seed in the AFC, Tennessee lost to the Bengals at home 19–16 in the divisional round.
In that game, Tannehill threw for 220 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, including a pick with less than a minute to go that allowed Cincinnati to get in position for a game-winning field goal.
Tannehill signed a four-year extension after the 2019 season, but the Titans have a reasonable out after this year since he has no guaranteed money due in 2023.
