NASHVILLE — From the moment veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill first stepped into a regular season game with the Tennessee Titans, everything changed for football in Nashville.

Tannehill injected life into a 2019 Titans team that had been sleepwalking through the first six games of the season. His first season with the team ended with a playoff run to the AFC Championship Game.

On Sunday, the 35-year-old’s last season with the team ended with a 28-20 victory over the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a game that had Tannehill and star running back Derrick Henry playing like it was a 2019 throwback.

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Over five seasons with the Titans, Tannehill has gone 39-24 as the starting quarterback in Tennessee. He has thrown 93 touchdowns and run for 21. While Derrick Henry has always been the Titans’ identity and face of the franchise, Tennessee has been at it's best offensively when Tannehill plays good football.

Regardless of how things have spiraled over the last year, the impact of Ryan Tannehill to Titans football is significant. And there have been a lot of fun memories collected along the way.

It was those same memories that came to Tannehill’s mind as he stood in the tunnels of Nissan Stadium alongside Henry and prepared to take the field as a Titan for the last time.

"That was definitely one of the moments where you're giving me a minute and I definitely got emotional right there," Tannehill said of his pregame moment with Henry in the tunnel. "I really went through a lot of the history that we've had together mentally. But I just tried to stay in the moment and had some words with Derrick. We just wanted to go out and finish this thing together in the right way."

"Finish this thing together" is exactly what Tannehill and Henry did. Led by Henry's 153 rushing yards and 69-yard run in the second half, Tannehill threw for 168 and two touchdowns in Sunday's victory. The Titans scored 28 points as a team, which tied their highest total of the season. It was your classic Titans win where the team won the turnover battle, played physical defense, bullied the opponent by running with Henry, and was pushed over the top by Tannehill getting the job done on third down.

It was the perfect way for Tannehill to go out after the last couple years being filled with volatile highs and lows. 

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What's Next For Tannehill?

At 35 years old, Tannehill is still confident in his ability to play good football at the NFL level. Staying healthy and being put in the right situation will be crucial for him, but I don't think the ship has completely sailed on Tannehill winning games as a starting quarterback.

"I know I can keep playing. I feel good, I feel confident that if given the right opportunity and the right place, yeah, I'd love to keep playing," said Tannehill after the game on Sunday.

But if Tannehill does wind up on an NFL roster next fall, it doesn't sound like it's going to be with the Titans. Tannehill talked to the media after the game and, in my opinion, sounded like a guy who was confident he'd be elsewhere come training camp. "I understand the business side of things. Obviously, we all know what happened this year. It doesn’t take a whole lot of foresight to see that," said Tannehill, alluding to when he was benched for Will Levis earlier in the season.

The veteran quarterback later made a joke that would suggest he won't be back. As time was winding down in the fourth quarter, Tannehill was wanting to help DeAndre Hopkins hit his contract incentives for receiving yards, and said he was willing to "go rogue" if need be. Luckily, Hopkins hit the mark (1,050 yards) before that time came. "Thankful that I didn’t have to go rogue there and call a pass play at the end. I’ve got nothing to lose here. I’m out anyways, so what are they going to do?," Tannehill joked. That's a man who sees the writing on the wall.

At the end of the day, it's time for the Titans to move on and turn over a new leaf. It's Will Levis' team now and everyone can see it. But Ryan Tannehill's five year run in Nashville still needs to get all the appreciation Titans fans have to offer.

Tannehill was tough as nails, a tremendous leader, and a stable starting quarterback for a team that hadn't had one since Steve McNair. He helped bring Tennessee Titans football back into the relevant landscape of the NFL. He will always be a Titans legend for that reason alone.

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