Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair: ‘I’d Love To Re-Sign With Tennessee Titans'
NASHVILLE — Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is the backbone of the Tennessee Titans' defense. Al-Shaair leads all Titans defenders with 137 tackles and has been one of few bright spots for a Titans team that was officially eliminated from postseason contention following Sunday’s 19-16 overtime defeat to the Houston Texans.
Al-Shaair recently joined AllTitans.com for an exclusive conversation while discussing his partnership with Campbell’s Chunky and the Chunky Sacks Hunger relief program. Al-Shaair discussed his relationship with coach Mike Vrabel and first-year general manager Ran Carthon, the Titans defense, how a rough patch encourages him to give back to the less fortunate, and more. Al-Shaair also touched on the status of his expiring contract.
Here is the transcript of my exclusive interview with him.
Justin Melo: You’ve teamed up with Campbell’s Chunky to host a food donation event at Second Harvest as part of the Chunky Sacks Hunger relief program. The program is designed to fight food inequality. Why is this cause so important to you and your family?
Azeez Al-Shaair: It’s an important cause to me and my family because I personally dealt with a lot of food insecurity growing up (in Tampa, Fla.). There are so many different programs that are out there designed to help fight hunger. We need to raise more awareness about these programs.
A lot of kids from hungry families don’t always realize that these programs exist. I can speak for myself and say we didn’t know about these when I was growing up hungry. It’s so important to help families in need. Food banks like Second Harvest here in Middle Tennessee are doing great work teaming up with Campbell’s Chunky to help feed the hungry community in Nashville. We’re bringing awareness to the resources.
Melo: Your story has been well documented. You experienced homelessness growing up. I imagine this cause hits a little differently for you.
Al-Shaair: It definitely does, 100 percent. My mom has always been a huge inspiration to me. When we dealt with homelessness when I was younger, she would still donate her time to helping other people in need. She would give somebody her last possession if it meant helping them out.
It was so confusing to me at the time how she could help somebody that needed the help while we were struggling ourselves. She’s just such a selfless person like that. I’ve tried to follow in her footsteps. I’ve always felt a lot of compassion for my mom. It always motivated me to lead with my heart as I started living my own life. Giving back to this Nashville community in need, having that mentality to think about others instead of myself has always been big to me.
Tennessee Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (2) takes a selfie with fans before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium in October.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Melo: Your mother sounds like an incredible person. You’ve come a long way yourself. You have a career-high 137 tackles and counting this season. This was the first season of your career where you entered as an unquestioned starter. How have you grown as a player while embracing a new role?
Al-Shaair: It’s been pretty good. You said it. It’s the first time in my career where I’ve been an unquestioned starter. I’ve had to grow into my own. Being in San Francisco the past four years was great. I had a lot of great times with the people I was there with. It helped me grow and prepared me for this bigger opportunity in Tennessee.
I’ve been running with that opportunity. I met a lot of new faces and great people. We started gelling immediately at OTAs [Organized Team Activities]. As the season got closer, I always did my best to lead this defense to the best of my ability. I’ve been putting my best foot forward as the best teammate I can possibly be.
Melo: What’s your relationship like with Mike Vrabel, and how have you enjoyed playing under his leadership?
Al-Shaair: It’s been great. Mike Vrabel is a very tedious person. Tedious is the best word I can think of to describe how he goes about his business (laughs). He leaves no stone unturned. That’s something I admire about him. You’ll see him coaching up quarterbacks and receivers, and then he’ll head over to the other side and coach up the linebackers and cornerbacks.
It’s almost like he has a deep rooted knowledge of everything that’s going on. It’s challenged me as a player to be better. I have to do a little bit more. It’s honestly been great.
Melo: That’s what Mike Vrabel is all about. That was a difficult overtime defeat to the Houston Texans on Sunday that eliminated the Titans from postseason contention. What’s the message in the locker room with three games left with just pride on the line?
Tennessee Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (2) and wide receiver Treylon Burks (16) react to a Titans fourth down during the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville two weeks ago.
Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY Sports
Al-Shaair: Any season that you’re not fighting for a playoff spot, it’s tough. I remember being in San Francisco in 2020. It was the COVID season. I was in the same situation. Actually, we were eliminated even earlier. I think we had three wins at the time and we were eliminated from the playoffs with four or five regular season games left.
The message was the same. The group that we have in Tennessee right now, it’s going to look different next season. It always looks different every year in the NFL. Even if you retain 80 percent of your roster, there’s still going to be guys that are rotated in and out.
All of the work that we put in up until this point, you can’t let it go to waste. We have to embrace every single day we have with each other because it always looks different next year. We have to make the most of it by trying to win our final three games. We’re fighting for each other. We still have something to play for.
Melo: I love that insight. That San Francisco team came back the next year and won 10 games. There’s been a lot of rumors and chatter about general manager Ran Carthon and his actual role with the franchise. You knew Carthon in San Francisco. How instrumental and involved was Carthon during talks in free agency to bring you to Tennessee?
Al-Shaair: He handled the entire process. He was all of it. Initially, I wasn’t looking at Tennessee as a place I was probably going to end up in. That changed when Ran Carthon reached out to me and my agent.
We started talking back and forth after the first day of free agency. It ended up working out perfectly. Ran and I have known each other since I was a rookie in San Francisco. He used to help me out a lot out there.
A lot of times, he was talking crap about my game as a rookie (laughs). He used to give me advice and little tidbits on watching film and what not. He went above and beyond to help an undrafted rookie like myself. We would talk about how I played the week before and so on. He would find tips on his own through watching film and he’d hit me up with something that was going to help me be better.
We always had a really good relationship and connection. Me coming to Tennessee, Ran Carthon made the transition 100 percent smoother.
Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon (right) celebrates with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (2) after beating the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium in September.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Melo: We've appreciated your time. Thank you for the excellent work you’re doing with Chunky Sacks Hunger to help fight food inequality. In closing, your contract is expiring at the end of this season. Would you like to be back with the Tennessee Titans next year?
Al-Shaair: I would love to be back with the Tennessee Titans next season. We’ll see how everything unfolds. I would love to be here. I’ve really enjoyed my time in Nashville. The people here, it’s more of a southern background. It’s what I’m used to I guess. They people aren’t as mean as they were in California (laughs).
Nashville is closer to home for me. I feel like I’ve started to build a new home here. I would love to be back with the Titans.
