That cruel arrival has been signalled by the NFL offseason. Starting this Tuesday, February 20, general managers may start applying the franchise tag to players whose contracts are about to expire; the deadline is extended until March 5. The legal window for tampering with free agency is March 11–March 13. This Monday, February 19, the Tennessee Titans will have a special deadline to meet.
The void year of each player’s contract will accelerate into 2024 if the Titans fail to extend the contracts of Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Sean Murphy-Bunting by Monday at 4 p.m. E.T. According to OvertheCap, the following is the financial penalty for not extending each player:
$9.2 million to Tannehill
Henry is worth $4.7 million.
Al-$2.5 million Shaair
Murphy-$1.6 million Bunting
The Titans were able to move money into this offseason, where they were expected to have significantly more cap space, by lowering their cap charges in 2023 thanks to the kinks worked into these contracts.
According to https://t.co/7YsSddbpXY, the #Titans have until end of business Monday to extend the following players before their void years accelerate into 2024:
Ryan Tannehill: $9.2m
Derrick Henry: $4.7m
Azeez Al-Shaiir: $2.5m
Sean Murphy-Bunting: $1.6m
— Football & Other F Words (@FWordsPod) February 16, 2024
The likelihood of Tannehill and Henry receiving extensions before Tuesday is slim to nonexistent. This offseason, Tannehill is anticipated to move on and sign with a different team. Tannehill has been connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers because of his clear relationship with Arthur Smith, the team’s new offensive coordinator.
As previously mentioned, Henry wants to test free agency. To re-sign Henry this early in the offseason, the Titans would need to make him an incredibly generous offer. Ran Carthon, the general manager, has the financial slack to absorb the $4.7 million fine associated with Henry.
The discussion about Al-Shaair and Murphy-Bunting is far more fascinating. It is plausible that the Titans would be interested in re-signing both players, especially Al-Shaair. There is a financial incentive to finish those extensions this weekend or early Monday afternoon before the deadline passes if keeping Al-Shaair and Murphy-Bunting is the goal.
Al-Shaair ($2.5 million) and Murphy-Bunting ($1.6 million) have comparatively small fines. Carthon is unlikely to be persuaded to offer Al-Shaair and/or Murphy-Bunting above market value by Monday’s deadline if he believes he needs more time to discuss possible extensions. The approaching deadline might serve as a catalyst for talks to pick up steam, and the Titans could close a deal this weekend.
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