The Tennessee Titans held on to running back Tony Pollard, and the trade market for him explains why. The offers Tennessee received for Pollard all involved Day 3 picks, with nothing better than a fourth-round pick on the table, according to A to Z Sports’ Easton Freeze. 

That wasn’t enough for a back who has been one of the few reliable pieces of this offense.

So the Titans running back plan shifts from “who do we get for him” to “what do we do with him.” We had that conversation Wednesday morning on our A to Z Sports show. Extend him. Let him walk. Re-sign him.

My answer is simple. I think the Titans should re-sign Tony Pollard. Titans GM Mike Borgonzi was asked Wednesday, and he agreed in the want for Pollard back. 

Pollard has to want it, too

Of course, that only works if Pollard feels the same way. That’s a pretty important part of the equation.

Easton made a point I agree with. Even if Pollard wants to stay in Nashville, he’s going to test the market. When you’re the top dog at your position heading into free agency, you get the most money. You don’t sign early for a hometown discount. If I’m Tony, I’m not doing it either.

Pollard told reporters in the locker room Wednesday afternoon that he would love to come back to the Titans after this season. The veteran running back cited his affinity for the team, the area and his family proximity. 

Could a December bonus get a deal done?

The Titans don’t have to lay out cash on Jeffery Simmons and Amani Hooker the way they did earlier. The dead money still counts against the cap, but the actual cash outlay is no longer a burden.

That opens the door for something like this (hypothetically): “Hey Tony, if we slap another year on your deal, here’s $5 million in December.” Merry Christmas. Call it a holiday bonus.

It sounds goofy, but this is how a lot of these deals work. Restructuring a contract often means moving money out of game checks and into a bonus. Players LOVE bonuses because that money is due within 21 days of the agreement. Game checks show up when they show up. Cash now beats cash later, every time.

The one option the Titans should avoid

The franchise tag came up, and we shot it down immediately. Tagging a running back is estimated to be north of $15 million. That’s the worst thing Tennessee could do here. Definitely don’t do that.

A tag pays Pollard like a premium position player for one season and buys the Titans nothing long term. A reasonable multi-year deal, sweetened with up-front cash, gets a productive back at a fair price without wrecking the cap sheet.

What the rest of the Titans running back room should look like

Re-signing Pollard doesn’t mean the Titans are done at the position. I’d still like to see Tennessee spend a draft pick on a running back to pair with him and develop behind him.

How high would I go? That’s where Easton and I hit a wall. He can’t give a good answer until he knows who is actually in the draft class, and that’s fair. A running back worth a top pick in one class is a Day 2 value in another.

My plan looks like this: bring Pollard back on a deal that rewards him now, add a young back through the draft, and stop treating the position as an afterthought. The trade market already told the Titans what Pollard is worth to everyone else… a fourth-round pick, at best.

He’s worth a lot more than that to Tennessee. Now we find out if Pollard and the Titans can figure out the right price.