Former Titans LB hints that landing with Tennessee in 2023 was his backup plan

The Tennessee Titans lost their best inside linebacker in Azeez Al-Shaair during the free agency period after he led the team in tackles last season with total of 163 tackles.

That number was also good for the fifth-highest total in the NFL.

And what perhaps stung even a little bit worse was the fact he went to the AFC South rival Houston Texans on a three-year, $34 million contract.

When Al-Shaair recently met with the media, he noted to Chancellor Johnson of KPRC2 Sports that the he felt he meshed with head coach DeMeco Ryans' system well and could not have seen a pathway to landing anywhere else.

"I think the fit, just the familiarity with DeMeco (Ryans') scheme, the players, even playing against them, you could just see (the fit)," Al-Shaair said. 

"When things started to kind of really boil down, the last couple hours of me deciding where I was going to go and who I was going to play for, I think that when I really sat down and looked at the whole situation, I was genuinely never anticipating going anywhere else."