We heard last month that the Titans were interested in extending Derrick Henry. Well, it sounds like the star running back is open to an extension, as well. Speaking to Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky, Henry said he’d be interested in signing another deal with Tennessee.
“It’s always good to get a promotion at your job,” Henry said. “A promotion is always good. I’m trying to work through that, but I’m currently still under contract. If that’s what the future holds, then yeah, that’d be great.”
Back in 2020, Henry inked a four-year, $50M deal that would keep him on the Titans through the 2023 campaign. In terms of average annual value, the deal ranks fifth at the position (behind Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook). While he’s coming off a significant injury, Henry has otherwise been healthy throughout his NFL career, so an extension could help him climb that AAV leaderboard. At the very least, a new extension could garner Henry some addition guarantees while carving out some extra space for the Titans.
Henry was prolific in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and he carried that production over to 2021. Through the first eight games, the RB compiled 1,091 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. While his yards per carry decreased significantly (5.4 in 2020 to 4.3 in 2021), he was on track to have a career year in the receiving game. A foot injury knocked him out for the final nine games of the regular season, and while he managed to return for the Titans' playoff loss, most of his offseason focus has been on his health.
“I’m doing a lot of footwork, making sure that I am finding my toes, he always tells me that when I am working out, just so I am balancing my foot,” Henry told Kuharsky. “I feel good, I am running hills, doing restricted running, all those types of things to make sure I am ready.”
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