The Titans are “interested” in Derek Carr according to NFL Insider
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are one of four teams(and potentially more) with interest in former Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback Derek Carr according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Carr and the Raiders decided to part ways due to Carr’s contract and what appears to be Raiders’ coach Josh McDaniels’ want simply to move on.
Carr will now hit the free agent market and because of the timing of his release, he can sign with whatever team he likes immediately. He does not have to wait until free agency kicks off on March 15. The others teams reportedly interested are the Saints, Jets and Panthers.
This brings us to the Titans perspective. Why would the Titans be interested? There is no logical answer. Carr is not an elite quarterback, but he is a good one. You could say the same about current Titans’ quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The debate over who is better between the two seems pointless. Whichever player you think is better, the gap isn’t wide enough for it to make a discernible difference in the Titans’ offense.
On top of the lack of gap in skill, the financial aspect doesn’t quite make sense for the Titans either. The Titans can release Tannehill and save $17.8 million on the cap, but would have $18.8 million in dead cap still invested in Tannehill on their salary cap. Whatever Carr gets paid on his next contract, certainly it will be more than $18 million.
Doing some quick math, if the Titans cut Tannehill to sign Carr at any amount over $18 million, they’re spending $36 million on their starting quarterback spot and not saving any money, while also not getting a substantial upgrade. Unless Mike Vrabel and the front office do think Carr is miles better than Tannehill, it just doesn’t make sense for the Titans.
Even if the Titans execute Tannehill’s release as a “Post June 1” move, which would save them $27 million instead of the $18 million discussed earlier, those savings won’t be accessible until after June 1. It would be difficult to spend what is needed to get Carr without having any of the Tannehill savings available. Also, if they did so, they would have little to no money left to sign free agents during the opening free agent period in mid-March.
Maybe the Titans as an organization are just ready to move on from Tannehill, maybe the fans are too, but there doesn’t seem to be any logic that supports cutting Tannehill and signing Carr as his replacement.
One thing that must be noticed though, the Titans are clearly digging around for other options at quarterback. Carr isn’t the first passer they’ve been linked to this off-season. Some have publicly speculated that the Titans would be an option for Aaron Rodgers should he leave Green Bay. Not only veterans, but we have already seen rumors that the Titans are interested in trading up to the number one pick, whether you believe those rumors or not.
Those options can be dismissed as only noise and some think Tannehill returning is a foregone conclusion, but either way, it would be wise to take note of the Titans’ interest, rumored or not, in all of those other options. Clearly, they are not sold on Tannehill in 2023.
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