There seems to be a misconception amongst Tennessee Titans fans that the team will need to clear some extra salary cap space in order to sign DT Jeffery Simmons to a long-term extension.

But the idea that the Titans need to allot some of their current cap availability to Simmons in 2023 couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, it's very possible that extending Simmons could actually save the Titans money and lower Simmons’ cap number this season. Here’s how:

Let’s start by taking a look at what Simmons is set to be paid this season. With the Titans exercising the fifth-year option on Simmons’ rookie deal, the star defensive lineman is on track to be paid $10.753 million in 2023. That’s the number that is currently being counted against Tennessee’s available cap space.

When a team signs a player to an extension, especially when said player has one year remaining on their deal, it’s not unheard of for the team to convert the player’s base salary for their final season into a signing bonus, lowering their immediate cap hit.

In Simmons’ case as a fifth-year player, his minimum base salary in 2023 stands at $1,080,000. That means the Titans could opt to convert up to $9,673,000 of his $10,753,000 base salary for 2023 into a signing bonus prorated over five years, leave the rest on the 2023 books, and work a future option bonus into the contract.

With Spotrac’s market value feature valuing Simmons at $21.5 million in average annual salary, I mock a potential extension this offseason at five-years and $110 million, with a $30 million option bonus that fully guarantees before the 2024 season and future guarantees baked in. This deal would keep him under contract with the Titans through the 2028 season.

Here’s what that may look like :

YEAR	BASE SALARY	BONUS	OPTION	CAP HIT
2023	$1,080,000	$1,934,600	———–	$3,014,600
2024	$3,227,000	$1,934,600	$6,000,000	$11,161,600
2025	$14,220,000	$1,934,600	$6,000,000	$22,154,600
2026	$21,800,000	$1,934,600	$6,000,000	$29,734,600
2027	$17,500,000	$1,934,600	$6,000,000	$25,434,600
2028	$12,500,000	———–	$6,000,000	$18,500,000

This specific contract would have Simmons getting paid over $10 million in cash this season for his fifth-year option in the form of a signing bonus, but only carrying a cap hit of a little over $3 million.

The Titans would be locking up Simmons long-term while creating over $7.5 million in additional cap space for 2023. Meanwhile Simmons can get his pay day with a large chunk of his contract coming in guaranteed money for future seasons.

While some of these figures could obviously vary, this contract structure could allow the Titans to do more in free agency, fill some immediate holes, and still keep their franchise player in Nashville for years to come.

Feature Image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports