The NFL offseason is in full swing, and Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon, along with 31 other GMs, will soon have the opportunity to apply franchise tags to players whose contracts are expiring this offseason. This process begins on Tuesday, Feb. 20, and ends on March 5. Following this, the legal tampering period for free agency will run from March 11 to March 13. If the Titans do not extend the contracts of Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Sean Murphy-Bunting by the end of business on Monday (4 p.m. CT), the void year of each player’s contract will be accelerated into 2024.
The NFL employs a “void years” strategy to distribute the prorated cap hits associated with signing bonuses. For instance, if a player signs a three-year contract with a $30 million signing bonus, the cap hit would be divided into three equal parts of $10 million each year. Void years are added to the end of the contract, with a maximum of five seasons.
It is possible that the Titans may not offer any contract extensions before Monday’s deadline. New coach Brian Callahan is still finalizing his coaching staff, and the new staff will want to assess the players and determine how each fits into their system before making any contract decisions. It is highly unlikely that the Titans will offer an extension to Tannehill, as his name did not come up in the introductory press conferences for Callahan or offensive coordinator Nick Holz. Tannehill’s dead money number is $9.2 million, according to overthecap.com. Dead money is a salary cap charge for a player who is no longer on the team’s roster.
Derrick Henry has expressed his desire to test the free agent market. Carthon, Callahan, and Henry have each stated on record that they would be open to a reunion. However, it is unlikely that this will be resolved before Tuesday’s deadline. Henry’s number is $4.7 million.
Azeez Al-Shaair’s number is $2.5 million. The linebacker posted 164 tackles, including 84 solo, last season. He is a leader on the defense, and the Titans could absorb the cost in hopes of renegotiating with him in March as free agency opens.
Sean Murphy-Bunting recorded 57 total tackles, eight passes defended (including two interceptions), and two forced fumbles across 14 games last season. His number is $1.6 million.
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