The Titans have more than a month to reach an extension agreement with Derrick Henry, but they are not putting off talks until the deadline nears — a common franchise tag practice.
GM Jon Robinson confirmed he has engaged in talks with Henry’s agent over the past two weeks, according to TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick (on Twitter). The most recent call occurred this week.
This represents a positive development for these parties. The Titans slapped the tag on Henry in March, and the reigning rushing champion signed it in April. Should Henry and the Titans not agree to the long-term deal both sides prefer by July 15, the fifth-year back is locked into a $10.278MM salary.
Tennessee drafted Appalachian State’s Darrynton Evans in the third round but remains intent on signing Henry to an extension. Evans may cut into Henry’s workload more than Dion Lewis did last year, but that could be a bonus for the bruising back’s longevity. This will be Henry’s age-26 season.
Henry is coming off one of the better contract years in recent memory, tacking two dominant playoff performances — in road wins over the Patriots and Ravens — onto his rushing championship. The former second-round pick has been one of the league’s best backs over the past season and change, beginning his breakout late in the 2018 campaign.
Henry also profiles as one of numerous extension-eligible running backs around the league, joining the stacked class of 2017 along with Cardinals transition-tagged back Kenyan Drake and 2018 UDFA Phillip Lindsay among key backs now up for new deals. Henry’s will be a key piece on an uncertain market.
I’m not sure I would sign Henry longer than three years unless the annual value is kept below $12 million. Considering his lack of pass-catching ability and previous struggles, it’s too risky to sign him to an exorbitant extension. Drake and Lindsay could provide better value relative to their respective contracts. Neither can carry the load, but they’re both versatile and relatively fresh
What previous struggles? He won the Heisman with Alabama 5 years ago.
Henry was the backup for another rushing title holder, DeMarco Murray who had 1845 yards in 2014, during his first two seasons. He only had a total of 501 carries during his first three NFL seasons before having 303 last year, so Derrick Henry is plenty fresh to carry the load in Tennessee for at least the next 3-4 years.He is well worth whatever long-term deal the Titans are offering him.
Prior to his week 14 explosion in 2018, he was averaging roughly 3.7 ypc and the Titan’s offense was pitiful. He also had north of 400 carries last season if you include the postseason. Ask Larry Johnson how that worked out for the longevity of his career
That’s why they used their 3rd round pick on Darrynton Evans who had 1480 yards rushing and 24 TD’s as a redshirt junior last season. The Titans won’t need to give Henry the ball 20 times every single game with Evans as a change of pace back, helping to carry the load.
If you can reduce Henry’s workload that easily, why give him such a lucrative contract?