Serving as Malik Willis’ mentor might sound more appealing to Ryan Tannehill now that it’s clear the Tennessee Titans were considering replacing him outright.
The Titans checked in with the Packers on Aaron Rodgers’ availability before he signed his $150 million extension and wanted to enter the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes until they were told he would not be traded within the AFC South by the Texans, according to Adam Schefter on ESPN’s NFL Live. Watson eventually wound up with the Browns.
A lot of the shine has come off Tannehill, who was acquired for pennies on the dollar by the Titans in 2019 and blossomed into a Pro Bowler with a 30-13 regular-season record as Tennessee’s starter. He signed a four-year, $118 million extension through 2023, but his future is very much tied into Willis’ development.
Willis, who was considered a likely first-round draft pick, slipped all the way to the third round. The scouting consensus is the former Liberty star needs at least one year to develop on the bench behind a veteran. That puts Tannehill in a now-or-never spot, after the Titans squandered an opportunity last season by losing their first playoff game as the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Tannehill made big news this week in two regards: First, he said the loss to the Bengals, in which he threw three interceptions, haunted him and caused him many restless nights this offseason. Second, he said that he views Willis as competition for the same job.
“I don’t think it’s my job to mentor him,” Tannehill said, “but if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing.”
Had the Titans been able to pry away Rodgers or Watson, Tannehill might be in a similar spot right now to Baker Mayfield, who is looking at a high-paid backup job unless he is traded. Mentoring is a sound alternative.
0 Commentaires