Jon Robinson Talks Tannehill's Status

The general manager says he won't make decisions based on one playoff defeat -- or any one game -- when it comes to his quarterback.

Ryan Tannehill has started 48 games for the Tennessee Titans between the regular season and the playoffs. On average, he and the Titans have won two out of every three.

So, general manager Jon Robinson does not believe it would be best to evaluate the quarterback on one game, particularly his last one. Tannehill threw three interceptions and posted a 66.7 passer rating in the 19-16 playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, which ended the Titans’ 2021 season and – in the minds of many – cast doubt about his future with the franchise.

"I think Ryan is a leader, I think Ryan is tough, I think Ryan has made a lot of great plays for us," Robinson said Tuesday at the Senior Bowl, via the team’s website. "He is our quarterback. I don't know that there is a quarterback who stands in the pocket and looks down the barrel of a blitz and throws the ball as good as he does. I know he works extremely hard, loves his teammates, is competitive.”

Tannehill has started 43 consecutive regular-season games for the Titans, tied for the most in franchise history for a quarterback. With Tom Brady’s retirement announcement, that will be the third-longest active streak among all quarterbacks at the start of the 2022 season. The last time a Titans quarterback started every game in two straight seasons was when Steve McNair did it in 1997 and 1998.

He is one of only six quarterbacks in franchise history with at least 30 regular-season wins and 10,000 passing yards. However, he has lost three straight in the playoffs and never has won a postseason contest when he has had to throw it more than 15 times.

“He has elite toughness,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “We have to be great around him. He has shown signs of accuracy, of decision making, the ability to extend plays and to scramble and leadership. Those are all things that you look for in a quarterback and (Tannehill) has shown us that.”

Those looking for the Titans to make a change at that position this offseason, therefore, are likely to be disappointed.

There also is the fact that he is under contract for two more years and carries a $38.6 million salary cap hit for 2022 on a deal that is structured in a way that makes it virtually impossible for the team to cut him.

“He's played a lot of good football,” Robinson said. “To have a micro-evaluation over one game is not fair to any player. I think you have to look at the scope of the body of work, and what he has done for this football team since he has been here."