NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans fans have always struggled with the way others around the NFL perceive their favorite franchise. One of the most popular Tennessee narratives that has unfairly stuck is that the club is cheap when it comes to paying players.

Handing out contracts that total $306.4 million so far this offseason, according to spotrac.com, is just the latest example of how untrue that label has been.

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Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk has consistently displayed a willingness to invest in the team since she took over in March of 2015. Since the new league year began on March 13, the Titans have handed out new contracts to free agents like receiver Calvin Ridley (4yr/$92M) and center Lloyd Cushenberry (4yr/$50M). General manager Ran Carthon also acquired star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed from the Kansas City Chiefs via trade after weeks of negotiations in which the then franchise-tagged Sneed was awaiting a new deal from whichever team acquired his services. 

Tennessee did not completely balk at Sneed's contract demands, stayed patient, and ultimately found terms that made sense for both sides.

"You just remain patient," Carthon told Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. "You did your due diligence prior to them franchising him, and then when he was franchised, you kind of got a feel on where it could possibly go. And then (the Chiefs) got the deal done with Chris Jones. 

"You study other teams and try and figure out where they are, so it was one of those things where we used a patient and diligent approach, and when the opportunity presented itself, we were in a position to do it, and we made it happen."

Carthon could not complete the deal for Sneed without being empowered to give him $76.4 million over four years by Strunk.

Now that Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie will be making $19 million and $12 million on average per year (APY), this marks the first time in Titans' franchise history that the team's top two cornerbacks will both have Top 15 APY salaries in the salary cap era, per Travis May of AtoZ Sports. This offseason's moves have signaled to the rest of the NFL that, internally, the Titans think they're much better than they're getting credit for. 

Whatever progress second-year quarterback Will Levis can make under new coach Brian Callahan will be key, but the investment Strunk has consistently been there.

Tennessee has much more work left to do to dig themselves out of the AFC South's basement. 

Titans draft implications of the Calvin Ridley and L’Jarius Sneed signings

Tennessee still has plenty of needs, just less dire ones.

Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.