How Titans stars encouraged free agents to sign in Tennessee
Multiple free agent signings by the Tennessee Titans say they received endorsements from current players before signing their contracts.
It always takes two to tango in NFL free agency. Signing a player to a free agent contract can be far more complicated than the dollar amount attached to the deal. In order for a free agent to land with a team, the player needs to want the team just as badly as the team wants the player.
Money, and more specifically guaranteed money, is always a factor, but players can take a number of things into account that influence their decisions, especially those that are in high demand. It could be the city, the fanbase, the team's readiness to win, the head coach, the locker room vibe, and so much more.
In order for free agents to be convinced that an organization is a good fit, it's important for that organization's current and former players to leave positive reviews of their experiences. That's exactly what the Tennessee Titans have taken advantage of during the current free agent cycle.
During an introductory press conference for the five recently signed Titans free agents, a few of Tennessee's current players were mentioned by name as being driving forces behind these deals getting done.
When defensive end Arden Key, a former LSU Tiger, was asked if he had heard from former college teammate Kristian Fulton and LSU alumni Racey McMath prior to signing, Key said he went out of his way to speak with a few of Tennessee's star players.
"I reached out to them. I reached out to Kristian [Fulton], Kevin Byard, Jeffery Simmons," Key said. Key also mentioned Titans' college scout Patrick Callaway as someone he was in contact with. "I asked questions about Mike [Vrabel]. How is he as a head coach? How's the energy and the vibe that's going on in the town, in the locker room that's going on right now? Does the team believe they can win? Does the team believe that they can run the south? A lot of the answers were 'hell yeah.'"
Key was not the only free agent that called some former teammates to get an inside scoop on the Titans. Linebacker Luke Gifford says he got in touch with former Nebraska Cornhuskers teammate Josh Kalu before free agency even began to see if he would fit in well.
"Josh is my guy. I hit him up probably about a week before free agency started and a I got the rundown from him," said Gifford. "He had nothing but good things to say about it, he loves it here. When I talked to Coach Vrabel I already knew what I was thinking. Josh is my guy, he's a great dude."
It's not unusual for free agents, as Gifford said, to already know what they're thinking about potential fits heading into free agency.
Offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill told the media that he knew signing with the Titans was a real possibility from the moment they hired Ran Carthon to be GM. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who also has a Carthon connection, said playing against the Titans in the past showed him how well he would fit in this defense.
"You see all the pieces in play that can set you up for something really successful," Al-Shaair said. "If I'm in that defense with those pieces, I know I can thrive, so that's the goal."
Buy-in and fit are everything. How well do you fit with the other pieces on the team and how bought in are the players on the roster to the organization's vision?
Positive answers to those questions from current Titans players have gone a long way to Tennessee bringing in a versatile free agent class.
George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
