Ran Carthon faces critical decision early as Tennessee Titans GM
The new Titans general manager will have the chance to do something for the franchise that his predecessor never did.
NASHVILLE — General manager Ran Carthon will get an opportunity in his first NFL Draft to do something that his predecessor, Jon Robinson, never did in seven previous seasons. With the 2023 event taking place on April 27, the Tennessee Titans must decide whether or not to take their future quarterback.
Don't worry, Ran. No pressure.
Veteran Ryan Tannehill is on an expiring contract this season. As of Sunday morning, there has been very little buzz around restructuring or extending Tannehill's deal beyond 2023. Doing so would help relieve the $36.6 million salary cap charge that Tennessee's current starter is set to carry.
It would also limit the Titans options to be able to move on from Tannehill cleanly after this year if they chose to do so.
Whether Carthon decides to take a quarterback at No. 11 overall on Thursday night, trade up for one or otherwise remains to be seen. No matter what path Tennessee chooses, the ripple effects created will be felt for years to come. For all of Robinson's success (and failures) with the Titans, the former GM was given a contract extension alongside coach Mike Vrabel in February of 2022.
Re-signing Robinson was perceived as him having enough clout to oversee a rebuild and, more importantly, drafting a new quarterback.
Ruston Webster brought Marcus Mariota to Tennessee in 2015, and Robinson had taken over the following year. The former Titans executive did pull off trading for Tannehill as the team's Mariota contingency plan. Robinson, via Tannehill, kept the team from hitting a hard reset at the position sooner than they wanted to.
Robinson was fired by the organization 10 months after receiving his extension, and now the quarterback decision falls to Carthon.
Tannehill, second-year project Malik Willis, Vrabel and the rest of Tennessee's coaching staff hang in the balance of Carthon's quarterback decision. It's a responsibility the first-time GM was very cognizant of when he took the position.
"This is a quarterback driven league," said Carthon at his introductory press conference in January. "People are hired and fired every day over that position. I want to spend more time evaluating that position. I will have my own opinion and Mike (Vrabel) and I will confer to figure it out."
Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.
