It’s officially time to bury one anti-Titans narrative after Tennessee breaks the NFL market with Jeffery Simmons contract
The Tennessee Titans have caught heat for being one of the NFL’s biggest losers in the last few years, but there’s one criticism we have to put to bed.
There are several completely valid reasons and paths to criticize the Tennessee Titans organization and controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk, but it’s time to officially put one to bed after Jeffery Simmons’s new record breaking contract extension.
Tennessee has only won 12 of its last 59 football games dating back to the seven game losing streak to end the 2022 NFL season. Over those 59 games, Strunk and the Titans have fired two general managers and two head coaches. That’s four firings in less than three and a half seasons. It’s fair to question the overall decision making, plan, and patience for the football operations side of the organization.
A common critique that has been outdated for some time is that Strunk runs a cheap ship, involving her lack of caring about “winning.”
I’ve thought this was dumb for a while, but now anybody who wants to use that as a way take a shot at the Tennessee Titans is driving down the wrong road.
Jeffery Simmons contract has Titans hitting the market reset trifecta
Friday, when the Titans All-Pro became the highest paid defensive lineman in NFL history, he became the third Titan to hold that positional title in under a decade. The three year, $105.8 million deal ($35.3M AAV) with $100 million guaranteed shattered the Chris Jones average annual salary with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Titans have been here before in 2018 and in 2019 when Taylor Lewan and Kevin Byard became the highest paid players in NFL history at their positions, too.
Lewan’s deal reset the offensive tackle market at five years, $80 million. Byard’s did the same needle moving for the safety position at five years for $70.5 million.
The growth of the NFL over this time is wild when you see five year extensions be dwarfed in total value by a three year extension. It makes more sense when you learn the NFL’s salary cap in 2018 was $177.2 million compared to a whopping $301.2 million for this 2026 season.
Regardless, Stunk and the Titans were more than willing to pony up to extend their own drafted players who earned big pay days.
Titans big three of Simmons, Lewan, and Byard aren’t alone
Tennessee has handed out several other contract extensions to their own players in Stunk’s time as controlling owner, that began in the spring of 2015. Here are the largest contract extensions, in total value, since she took over:
- QB Ryan Tanenhill: 4 years, $118 million (2020)
- DL Jeffery Simmons: 3 years, $105.8 million (2026)
- DL Jeffery Simmons: 4 years, $94 million (2023)
- OT Taylor Lewan: 5 years, $80 million (2018)
- CB L’Jarius Sneed: 4 years, $76.4 million trade & sign (2024)
- S Kevin Byard: 5 years, $70.5 million (2019)
- RB Derrick Henry: 4 years, $50 million (2020)
Now let’s include the massive checks given to free agents acquired in the same time frame (and if you’re yelling about Sneed being listed above, then just pretend he’s on this list).
- WR Calvin Ridley: 4 years, $92 million (2024)
- EDGE Bud Dupree: 5 years, $82.5 million (2021)
- LT Dan Moore: 4 years, $82 million (2025)
- WR Wan’Dale Robinson: 4 years, $70 million (2026)
- DL John Franklin-Myers: 3 years, $63 million (2026)
- CB Malcolm Butler: 5 years, $61 million (2018)
- CB Alontae Taylor: 3 years, $60 million (2026)
- C Lloyd Cushenberry: 4 years, $50 million (2024)
That’s a total of 15 contracts with over $50 million in total value, each. Now, did they work out? How many of those players lived up to those deals? That’s an entirely different conversation.
Strongest proof that Amy Adams Strunk “wants to win”
I understand and expect a follow up to be ‘well, NFL teams are required to spend a salary cap floor to not violate the CBA’ and that’s true. NFL teams have to spend at least 90% of the salary cap in cash spending over a three year period, per the league’s CBA.
What do cheap organizations not do? They don’t pay continuous rolling buyouts for fired coaches and executives like the CBA has a rule for that, too. The Titans have had a lot of fired guys on the payroll over the last three years, and still have some going. If she didn’t care about winning, she would be less likely to pay two head coaches to try to win, instead of paying one coach to… not win.
It’s over. You can’t pull that card any more. The Tennessee Titans are not a cheap franchise.
Now, I’m not saying they’re a good franchise. We’ll see how this soon the paying buyout cycle resets.