Trade rumors are beginning to swirl around Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the 2022 NFL offseason begins to heat up. The latest indicates that the quarterback would be open to joining the Titans if he decides to leave Green Bay.
It doesn’t appear that the feeling is mutual.
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ESPN’s Turron Davenport reports that the Titans are not considering trading for Rodgers. Why? Because they want to keep rolling with Ryan Tannehill.
A team source confirmed to ESPN that the Titans don’t consider Rodgers to be an option for them at quarterback and have full intentions of moving forward with Tannehill.
Tannehill, 33, has spent the last three seasons with the Titans. He has led them to a 30-13 regular-season record as a starter and helped Tennessee reach the AFC championship game during the 2020 NFL playoffs.
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Tannehill has posted decent stats with the Titans. However, he has been prone to costly turnovers, and he had a rough outing against the Bengals in the 2022 NFL postseason. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in that game, but he threw three interceptions, including one with under a minute left in a tie game. That gaffe set up Cincinnati’s game-winning drive.
Despite Tannehill’s struggles in that contest — and the Titans’ disappointing early playoff exit after earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC — Tennessee believes he is the starter moving forward. General manager Jon Robinson even gave him a vote of confidence ahead of the 2022 Senior Bowl.
“Ryan’s our quarterback,” Robinson said Wednesday, per ESPN. “He’s made a lot of plays for us. He’s a great leader. He’s extremely tough. Love what Ryan brings to our football team, love what he stands for. We’re looking forward to him getting back in there, and getting back on track, and keeping this thing rolling.”
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Even if the Titans wanted to move on from Tannehill, it wouldn’t be easy for them to do so. He is in the third year of a four-year, $118 million contract that he signed after the Titans’ 2020 playoff run, and he has a cap hit of $38.6 million. Parting with him would result in a whopping $57.4 million in dead-cap space — which is essentially money allocated to players no longer on the team.
As such, it seems unpalatable for the Titans to part with Tannehill this year. They’ll have a better chance of moving on from him in 2023, when his dead-cap hit would drop to $18.8 million. Of course, if they are confident in Tannehill moving forward, they could extend him to lower his cap hit for 2022 and allow the team more flexibility ahead of free agency.
The Titans have options and decisions to make at the quarterback position. That said, it doesn’t seem like Rodgers is among them, unless Tennessee has a change of heart and can figure out a way to bend the NFL’s ever-flexible salary cap.