Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans have signed a deal, which will keep the player in Nashville for the next four years. Reportedly, the contract is worth $118 million, and it is one of the biggest in the NFL.
Tennessee won’t use a franchise tag on the former No.8 pick from 2012 NFL Draft as planned, but will probably utilize this feature on Derrick Henry. It is pretty much the best possible outcome for the organization.
Even though he wasn’t the perfect superstar the Titans’ fans wanted, Tannehill instantly became the fan-favorite. The team became a respectable powerhouse in the AFC with him behind the wheel and indicated that they would be a tough nut to crack for anybody in the league.
Even though he was behind Henry when looking at the statistical contribution, Tannehill provided confidence and was an X-factor in Titans’ quest towards the AFC Championship game. Since he replaced Marcus Mariota as a starter in Week 7, Tennessee’s offense skyrocketed and became one of the best in the league.
Mike Vrabel’s guys were the top team in the league in average yards per play (6.9), the second in touchdowns per drive with 34%, and third in points per match 30.4 and yards per match, 406.2.
During that time, Titans posted excellent results, and their playoff run was more than impressive. At first, they eliminated the reigning Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots on the road in the Wild Card round. After that, Vrabel’s unit trashed the No.1 favorite for winning the title, and the league’s MVP LaMar Jackson in the Divisional Round.
Eventually, they didn’t have the strength to go all the way and were stopped in the AFC Championship Game by the later NFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
During that run, Tannehill had five TD passes, one rushing TD, and two interceptions. Regarding the regular part of the campaign, he was excellent.
The former Miami Dolphins leader had 22 TD passes, six interceptions, and four running TDs. He would throw for 2,742 yards in 12 games in which he appeared, with 70.3% of a pass-completion and 9.6 yards per completion.
Also, he had the highest passer rating in the league 117.5, an all this would eventually earn him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. He was also elected to be a Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
“He’s been a confident player since he’s been here. He’s operating and doing things decisively. He has a good grasp of what we try to do in all phases,” said Vrabel of his starting QB.
About his contract, the average annual salary for Tannehill will be $29.5 million, and $62 million are fully guaranteed. Things will radically change for the 31-year old QB after this. He will experience much bigger pressure than before, as both the fans and the opponents expect the highest possible level of performance.
The same goes for the Titans in general. After they reached the AFC Championship Game, the fanbase expects nothing less than the playoffs in the upcoming campaign, and some of them won’t settle for less than the same result.
