As Franchise Tag Deadline Approaches, Remember the Titans were Winners with Derrick Henry Deal in 2020
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans were in a similar spot to teams like the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders just two short years ago. They had a star running back, coming off a productive season, who had no interest in playing on the one-year franchise tag and were heading for a deadline to get a long-term deal done.
Luckily for the Titans and Henry, the pair agreed to a deal on July 15, 2020, avoiding the franchise tag deadline. Looking back on it now, both sides were winners. The Titans got incredible production that led to a ton of wins. Henry got money and has risen to become one of the most popular players in professional sports.
The contract was a four-year deal worth $50 million. At the time, Henry got $25.5 million in guarantees. As it is now, trepidation around paying running backs is prevalent, but the Titans found to pay Henry a fair market rate while also keeping the commitment short. A satisfying outcome for both sides.
It was a smart deal and the credit goes to former Titans general manager Jon Robinson there. Things got a little more complicated during the 2022 offseason when Henry's contract was restructured for additional cap flexibility. The Titans gave Henry more guaranteed money to lower his cap hit.
The Titans kicked the can down the road a bit financially with Henry and the result is his cap hit being $16 million this season. A large chunk of the cap compared to what most other teams are spending at running back.
Ultimately though, Henry has shown that his impact goes beyond the box score or stat sheet. Henry bends defenses to his will and it allows the rest of his offense to take advantage. He opens things up for everyone else and that makes him worth the money he has been paid since striking that deal in 2020.
The Giants with Saquon Barkley and the Raiders with Josh Jacobs are the pairings we will focus on today, but it is a nice reminder that the Titans got things very right when they were in this spot a couple years ago.
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