There were a lot of rumors and speculation about the Tennessee Titans possibly moving on from quarterback Ryan Tannehill this offseason.
However, the thick of the offseason has passed and Tannehill remains in Nashville, where he’s expected to start ahead of young signal-callers like Malik Willis and Will Levis.
As far as why the Titans didn’t part with Tannehill this offseason is unclear.
The Titans may simply want the veteran to play out the last year of his deal, which includes a hefty cap hit. It’s also possible Tennessee wanted to trade Tannehill but couldn’t find a suitable partner to get that done.
Whatever the case may be, there’s an ongoing situation in Las Vegas that bears monitoring if the Titans are indeed looking to trade Tannehill.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, the Las Vegas Raiders have a clause in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract that voids it if he doesn’t pass a physical, something he has apparently failed to do up until this point.
This means the Raiders run the risk of losing their starting quarterback right before the campaign begins, which would obviously be disastrous for their 2023 season, no matter your opinion on Garoppolo.
If that does happen, it’s very possible the Raiders will turn to the Titans and ask about Tannehill, who, in my humble opinion, is as good an option (and possibly better) than Jimmy G.
This would also be ideal for the pick-needy Titans, who could maximize their return for the veteran signal-caller if the Raiders are as desperate as we would figure them to be in such a situation.
Now, trading Tannehill that late would leave Tennessee in an interesting situation, as the Titans would be left with Willis and Levis, both of whom figure to be a downgrade from a more experienced Tannehill in 2023.
Truth be told, this season is going nowhere anyway and it’s clear this team has its eyes set on 2024, so I personally wouldn’t mind giving the young quarterbacks a look to see what the team has in each.
Chances are things won’t go well with either, which means the Titans will likely come away with a better draft pick next April, further helping their retool, or rebuild, or whatever it is you want to call it.
