Tyler’s Takes: Vrabel Comment on Tannehill was NOT an Endorsement

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel held a virtual press conference earlier this week to announce all of the changes made to the coaching staff. He was asked a plethora of questions about a multitude of different topics like how wide of net was cast in the offensive coordinator search, why he selected the candidates he did and how involved new general manager Ran Carthon was in the decision.

Vrabel was also asked about current quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s reaction to the news and what it means for Tannehill going forward. His answer seems to have been misinterpreted by some within the fan base and the Titans’ media.

When asked what the recent news means for Tannehill, Vrabel gave this response:

“Well, I don’t think anything. I talked to Ryan. I let him know which direction we were headed. I don’t want to speak for him, he seemed excited about what we were going to do and who we were doing it with.” Vrabel continued, “But again, Ran and I are evaluating the entire roster and players who are under contract and players that are going to be potential free agents here soon. So, Ryan’s in here every day and he’s excited about where things are headed. So, other than that, I don’t know what to tell you other than being able to say we got to get ready here to add a lot of pieces and find ways to do that.”

That is a lot to breakdown. I find it interesting that most people want to focus on the first part of the quote where Vrabel says Tannehill was excited about the coaching decisions. However, what stands out to me are the comments in bold. To me, those tell the story much more than the words most have put the emphasis on.

First, Vrabel is not going to announce or imply the team is moving away from Tannehill in a zoom press conference meant to discuss changes to his coaching staff. Similar to how Ran Carthon was not going to make a bold and final statement on Tannehill when he was introduced as the new general manager. To expect any definitive statement about decisions made on the roster in this environment is naive. Especially, from Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel plays it down the middle perfectly here. He gives an answer about Tannehill, but also points out that the roster is being evaluated still. He is telling you that they have not decided to keep OR part way with Tannehill yet. Both possibilities are on the table. Nothing in his statement is an endorsement of the quarterback. He simply gave a professional answer when asked about Tannehill.

Not only was it not an endorsement, but the second part of the quote that is in bold, makes me think it is more likely Tannehill will not be back. Vrabel talks about adding a lot of pieces to the roster AND FINDING WAYS TO DO THAT. The Titans currently sit a little over 23 million dollars in the hole from a salary cap perspective. The WAY to fix that is by cutting expensive veteran contracts.

There are obvious names on the chopping block that could save the Titans money like Taylor Lewan, Robert Woods and Bud Dupree, but if the Titans want to clear as big of a chunk as possible in one swing, the answer is to move off of Tannehill. Cutting or trading Tannehill would save the Titans 17.8 million on the cap while leaving behind 18.8 million in dead cap. That’s a lot of dead cap to eat, but if the Titans intend to go after a rookie QB on a cheap contract, maybe that 18.8 million hit becomes more digestible. It was rumored recently that the Titans were calling the Chicago Bears about a potential move up the first pick.

The Titans also have the option of designating Tannehill a “Post June 1st” cut which would allow them to save 27 million on the cap and split the dead cap hit of 18 million between the 2023 and 2024 season. If the Titans know a trade to get them higher in the draft is locked in, they could choose to go that route and use the cap savings they get in June to sign their draft class or make moves during the season.

Either way, the point of the article isn’t to say Vrabel told us he wants to get rid of Tannehill, but rather to point out that Vrabel didn’t give a ‘soft,’ ‘hard’ or any kind of endorsement of Tannehill earlier this week. He simply answered a question he was asked in the least committal way possible. We are just in the dark about what the Titans will do at quarterback as we were when the Titans’ season ended in Jacksonville in Week 18.

REACTION TO KELLY HIRE: Reaction has been mixed on the internal promotion of Tim Kelly to offensive coordinator, replacing Tod Downing. CLICK HERE
FRONT OFFICE ADDITION: General Manager Ran Carthon wasted little time adding former Packers executive Chad Brinker as assistant general manager. CLICK HERE
VRABEL ON KELLY: Titans head coach Mike Vrabel made the call to promote Tim Kelly to the offensive coordinator position. CLICK HERE

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