The Tennessee Titans kicked off a new era in franchise history on Friday, as they formally introduced Ran Carthon as their new general manager.
Carthon, who is coming off of a two-year run as the director of player personnel for the San Francisco 49ers, will soon have multiple franchise-altering decisions to make. Among them, the future of quarterback Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee is still up in the air, as he has one year left on his contract. The one-time Pro Bowler is set to hold a cap hit of $36.6 million for the 2023 campaign.
The Titans will also have Malik Willis as an option to be their starter at the position next season, and when asked on Friday to evaluate the Titans’ quarterback situation, Carthon shied away from providing a firm stance on this matter.
“I don't think that's fair at this point,” Carthon said. “We're still evaluating the roster. Ryan has been great here. He's won a lot of football games. I look forward to us winning football games.
“But I still need more time to evaluate and make those decisions.”
Tannehill had quite a roller-coaster campaign in his fourth year in Tennessee. He recorded 13 passing touchdowns and six interceptions over 12 games played. His season was officially cut short in December when the team placed him on injured reserve due to his nagging ankle injury.
If it were up to Tannehill, he would stay put with the AFC South side.
“Of course, I'd love to be back here,” Tannehill said earlier this month. “We'll just have to see what happens.
“I definitely have some good years left. I feel really good, even coming off this injury. I feel really good and looking forward to some bright years ahead.”
On the other hand, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel offered his stamp of approval to Tannehill during his end-of-season press conference last week.
“We have a lot of guys here that are under contract,” Vrabel said. “A lot of guys that want Ryan to get as healthy as he possibly can and, then, go and be our quarterback and figure out things that will help us win. That’s the case for a lot of guys.
“A lot of guys that are under contract that finish the season are not out there. So, let’s get everybody healthy and see where everybody is at, and then we can make some decisions. He is our starting quarterback. If he was healthy, he’s our starting quarterback.”
A crucial free agency period sure awaits the Titans.
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