Ryan Tannehill gets strong endorsement from Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel
NASHVILLE — Quarterback Ryan Tannehill's year ended on December 29 when the Tennessee Titans (7-10) placed him on Injured Reserve. Tannehill had been battling through an ankle sprain sustained in mid October and re-injured himself in Tennessee's Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Titans starting quarterback was carted off the field in […]
NASHVILLE — Quarterback Ryan Tannehill's year ended on December 29 when the Tennessee Titans (7-10) placed him on Injured Reserve. Tannehill had been battling through an ankle sprain sustained in mid October and re-injured himself in Tennessee's Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Titans starting quarterback was carted off the field in the first quarter, but did eventually return to finish that contest.
Tannehill was shut down nine days later after seeking consultation on the ankle issue. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the goal was for corrective surgery a few days before Christmas to potentially give Tannehill a shot to return at some point in the 2022 season.
Ultimately, the veteran would not get the chance to.
Titans brass stand with Tannehill
Walking wounded that Tennessee was at the end of this year's disappointing campaign, questions about the future status of Tannehill and many other veterans will begin this offseason.
Tannehill signed a four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans in March of 2020. The deal included a $20 million signing bonus, $91 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $29.5 million, per spotrac.com. Heading into his eleventh NFL season, Tannehill is scheduled to earn a base salary of $27 million while carrying a cap hit of $36 million and a dead cap value of $18.8 million. His future with the team is a fair question, given the savings and need for help all over Tennessee's current roster.
Coach Mike Vrabel, however, stood firmly behind Tannehill as the team packed it's bags for the winter.
"We have a lot of guys here that are under contract," Vrabel said on Monday. "A lot of guys that want Ryan (Tannehill) to get as healthy as he possibly can and, then, go and be our quarterback and figure out things that will help us win. That's the case for a lot of guys.
"A lot of guys that are under contract that finish the season are not out there. So, let's get everybody healthy and see where everybody is at, and then we can make some decisions. Ryan is our starting quarterback. If he was healthy, he's our starting quarterback."
Tennessee has a lot of questions to answer
The Titans quarterback position is second only to the team's search for its next general manager in the coming weeks, as far as offseason priorities are concerned.
Rookie Malik Willis filled in for Tannehill several times this season out of necessity, but was largely ineffective. The 2022 third-round pick was benched for journeyman back-up Josh Dobbs in Tennessee's final two games. Tannehill's cap savings are the best argument for releasing him ahead of next season, particularly now that the Titans are locked into the eleventh overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
For now, the veteran remains Vrabel's best available option.
"Really happy with how (ankle rehab) is going," Tannehill said during Tennessee's locker room clean out media session on Monday. "Just sucks to have to go through it. Unfortunately, it is a part of the game. Was able to stay away from (surgery) for a long time, but it finally caught up to me. Looking forward to being healthy again."
Tannehill started 12 games for the Titans in 2023.
He completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,536 yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Tennessee went 6-6 with Tannehill under center this year.
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