ESPN's Todd McShay Explains Why Titans Could Draft Will Levis or Anthony Richardson

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have been doing their homework on all of the top quarterbacks in the NFL draft. They have also been whispered about in NFL circles as one of the teams that could make a trade up the board to get one of those top quarterbacks. ESPN’s draft analyst Todd McShay spoke on a conference call Wednesday and explained why the Titans could logically select a passer with their first pick.

According to tennesseetitans.com, McShay thinks that financial reasons could drive the decision to draft a quarterback for the Titans. McShay outlines exactly why and even uses some recent examples to paint the picture.

ESPN's Todd McShay Weighs in on the Buzz Surrounding the #Titans, and the 11th Overall Pick
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"Because of the collective bargaining agreement, you are no longer doling out $75 (million) for a rookie contract and guaranteed money," McShay explained. "You are in the $25-$30 million range, so you get these guys on the cheap."

"If they bring in Anthony Richardson or Will Levis, whether they're trading up or staying at 11, what they can do for the rest of their roster if in 2024, that quarterback shows that he can be a solid starter for you and has upside and can continue to develop. Now you have four years with him as the starter at no money … it frees up so much money to get better everywhere else. And I think that's going to be a trend that we see more and more.”

The conversation is really all about asset allocation. If you can allocate far less resources to the quarterback position compared to your competitors it allows you to spend more money around the quarterback. A plan the Titans will certainly be following soon whether it comes this year or next. McShay used examples of the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers to illustrate his point.

"And that's why you keep hearing about teams like Tennessee and like Seattle, like Las Vegas … teams that have veterans they are paying too much for, looking to bring in a young quarterback and develop them on the back end for a year or two, and if you hit on even an average starter for a few years, you get so much better everywhere else that you still have a chance to make a deep playoff run like San Francisco has done."

For the record, McShay notes that he has not heard anything that indicates the Titans plan to trade up in the draft for a quarterback, but considering his argument for why it makes sense, you certainly can’t rule it out.

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