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Titans Received Last-Minute Trade Call For No. 1 Pick

The Tennessee Titans still had teams eager to trade for the No. 1 pick all the way up until Cam Ward was chosen.
Jeremy Brener|
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward throws the football before the game against the Duke Blue Devils. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward throws the football before the game against the Duke Blue Devils. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are two weeks into their life with Cam Ward as their official starting quarterback of the future after picking him with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Though it has only been two weeks, the Titans confirmed that they would take the top selection a few days prior and it was long speculated that Ward would be the No. 1 pick after the team reportedly declined any trades.

One team, the New York Giants, were the team that appeared the most intrigued by a possible trade, and they even made an offer for the No. 3 pick, a 2026 first-round selection and multiple late 2025 picks. However, the Titans declined, preferring Ward over the mammoth package. The Giants wanted 100 percent certainty on this, so general manager Joe Schoen made one last call on draft night when the Titans were on the clock.

The Giants stayed at No. 3 to take Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter before trading back into the first round to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who will learn behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston before getting the chance to take over as the franchise guy someday.

The Titans have been criticized by some for not negotiating with the Giants further, since Carter was considered to be the top prospect regardless of position and he likely would have been the pick at No. 3 assuming the Jacksonville Jaguars were still keen on trading up for Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

Ultimately, this shows how much the Titans believe in Ward, and that should give the quarterback a ton of confidence going into this era as he looks to lift the franchise after a 3-14 season in 2024.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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