The Tennessee Titans went all-in on the 2021 season but have since made several cost-cutting measures to get their financial house more in order in 2022.
Among the moves the Titans made were cutting wide receiver Julio Jones, left guard Rodger Saffold and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and they traded wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, absolving themselves of having to pay him a hefty extension.
As things stand now, the Titans are in a pretty good spot financially, with the team having $11.8 million in effective cap space, per Over the Cap, but how are things looking three years down the line?
According to Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, not great. He ranks the Titans No. 22 in salary cap health for the next three years.
The Titans rank 31st in active draft capital, 18th in effective cap space from 2022-24, 10th in total prorated money, 27th in top 51 veteran valuation, and third in 2023 unrestricted free agent valuation.
The 2023 offseason could be an expensive one for Tennessee. Assuming they don’t extend him in 2022, defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons will have to be taken care with a massive deal.
The Titans will also have the rest of their remaining 2019 draft class — all of whom are starters — to make decisions on, with safety Amani Hooker, right guard Nate Davis and linebacker David Long all hitting free agency.
Tennessee’s financial ace in the hole is 2022 third-round pick and quarterback, Malik Willis.
If the Titans can successfully develop him into a starter for 2023, they’ll be able to part ways with Ryan Tannehill’s expensive contract and will have a young quarterback on a cheap contract, allowing the team to allocate its funds elsewhere.
Willis’ failure to develop will complicate things, though. Such a scenario would either force Tennessee to stick with Tannehill for one more year, or go out and find a potentially expensive stopgap.
