The Titans waited until the 11th hour, but it appears they have secured their hasty king.
Tennessee is expected to reach a long-term agreement with running back Derrick Henry, reported NFL network informant Ian Rapoport. Henry signed his franchise tag offer less than a month after the Titans officially put it on him before the start of free agency, but that one-year contract that was slated to pay him $ 10.3 million will be moot when signing the new contract. multi-year. agreement.
Henry reached the league rushing title in the final week of the 2019 season, culminating a 1,540-yard season and 16 touchdowns with a dominant 211-yard outing in a Week 17 playoff victory over Houston. He proved his worth in the postseason, putting Tennessee’s offense on his back to help the Titans to two impressive playoff victories. Henry ran 64 times for 377 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee’s surprise victories over New England and Baltimore before returning to earth in an AFC Championship loss to Kansas City.
Henry’s 69-yard outing in the conference title game was not his fault, but the result of a Titans offense trying to keep up with the Chiefs’ explosive group and was forced to walk away from the race. . It was definitely not indicative of its value; Without Henry, the Titans simply don’t make it to the door of the Super Bowl.
Tennessee appears to have recognized this with a long-term deal, though it will be interesting to see exactly how long the deal lasts. Recent big-dollar broker deals have been exhausted long before they expire, with Devonta Freeman not reaching the midpoint of her lucrative Atlanta expansion and Todd Gurley seeing the open market just two years after signing a four-year extension in The Angels. The concern regarding Henry’s protection beyond 2022 would be understandable.
Starting in July 2020, it is advisable for the Titans to do what they have to do to keep Henry, the strongest part of his offense for most of his career, even if it took Tennessee two years to realize it (see: Henry leads total in his first two campaigns). How it will develop will allow time to tell us. Everyone greets the hasty king.
