On Sunday, the Tennessee Titans agreed to a contract with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. That deal was a mega one, a four-year contract worth $118-million.
Was this a good contract for the Titans though? Let's analyze the deal and grade it.
This is coming off the heels of what was possibly the best season of the quarterback's career.
In 2019, Tannehill was brought to the Titans to serve as Marcus Mariota's back up. However, after just a few weeks he took over as the starter.
In 12 games, Tannehill managed 2,742 yards on a 70.3 completion percentage (a career-high). He also averaged a career-high 9.6 yards per passing attempt. That's nearly two full yards higher than his old top mark of 7.7.
Tannehill threw 22 touchdown passes (his high is 27, which he did in 16 games in 2014), compared to just six interceptions. This marked just the second time in his career with fewer that 10 interceptions (2018 when he had nine in 11 games).
Meanwhile, he also set a new career-high by scoring four rushing touchdowns.
Tannehill was a true spark plug. He helped get Tennessee's season back on track. Not only did they finish the season with a 9-7 record, but the Titans made the playoffs.
While in the playoffs, they made a lot of noise. Tennessee won two games (upsetting the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens) before losing to the eventual Super Bowl winners (the Kansas City Chiefs) in the AFC Championship game.
So it makes sense that they would want to bring back all the main pieces, especially the quarterback that flipped the script for them.
And to be fair to Ryan Tannehill, he is coming off a career season that shed him in a much better light to a lot of NFL fans and analysts alike.
That being said though, this contract does not come without it's cautions.
Tannehill's best season came at age 31. So was that a fluke? Or is he that much of a late bloomer? To be fair, it could have had something to do with the system he was in with the Miami Dolphins too.
However, what about the playoffs? The Titans won two games, sure. In those two games though, Ryan Tannehill combined to go 15-for-29 for 160 yards and three touchdowns, compared to two interceptions. He also had one rushing touchdown, but two fumbles.
So this has to make you wonder. Ryan Tannehill was absolutely a catalyst for the team, but was he essential? Or was that defense and running game carrying him by the end?
If that's the case, the Titans just spent a ton of money on a quarterback that they didn't seem to trust to win them playoff games.
In a lot of ways, 2019 was an amazing year for Ryan Tannehill. He definitely deserved a solid contract out of it as well. Nearly $30-million a season for a quarterback entering his age 32 season that many still believe to be unproven though? That's steep.
This could end up being the right move for the Titans. Right now though, it seems like an unnecessarily massive number, and a high risk.
Due to that, it's hard to give them a terrible grade, as Ryan Tannehill gave them hope last season. But it's hard to give them a good grade, as that's just far too risky of a contract.
So let's meet in the middle.
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