The Titans hope to retain Harold Landry, and the AFC South champions’ top edge-rusher would be fine with such an effort coming to fruition.
Although a deal to keep Landry will be costly for the Titans, the free agent-to-be would prefer to spend his prime in Tennessee. The Titans will have the franchise tag at their disposal as well. The tag window opens Feb. 22 and closes March 8.
“It’s no secret that I love playing for the Titans, and my family loves living in Tennessee,” Landry said, via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “So hopefully we can get a deal done.”
Tennessee shelled out a big-ticket deal for Bud Dupree last year — five years for $82.5M, with $33.75M guaranteed — and it did not produce much this season. The Titans also have 2019 first-rounder Jeffery Simmons on track for a monster extension, but the fifth-year option gives the team two more years of rookie-contract control. A Simmons extension is unlikely to happen until at least 2023. Five weeks away from the tag deadline, the Titans are projected to be more than $7M over the cap.
The tag price is expected to rise past $18M — up from $14.8M in 2021. The Titans will need to carve out sufficient space to have the tag ready for Landry, who is the team’s top free agent. GM Jon Robinson‘s moves to complement Landry in recent years have not panned out. Cameron Wake, Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley bombed in Tennessee, and the jury is out on Dupree, who spent the 2021 offseason rehabbing an ACL tear.
Landry, 25, has provided the Titans solid value for a second-round pick. He finished his contract year with 12 sacks, giving him 31 in four seasons, and ranked in the top 10 in pressures.
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