Delanie Walker - Pro Football Rumors

Titans Sign Delanie Walker To Extension

May 9th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 1:49pm: Walker has officially put pen to paper, making his two-year extension official, as the Titans announced today (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 5:34pm: Tight end Delanie Walker, who was preparing to head into a contract year, has agreed to terms on a new deal with the Titans that will lock him up beyond the 2016 season, the team announced today. Although the club didn’t specify the terms of the deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that it’s a two-year, $14.7MM extension, with $8.2MM in guarantees.

“Delanie is an integral piece of the offense,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said in a statement. “In my short time around him, he came in and bought into our philosophy of what Titan football is going to be about. Obviously he’s a Pro Bowl player with great individual statistics, but his commitment and his desire and willingness to compete to the team concept of wanting to win is as important. We are looking forward to his on-field performance, but his positive impact in the community as well.”

Schefter initially reported Walker’s new deal as a three-year pact, so it seems likely that it will keep him under contract through 2018 — two new years, and three overall. Assuming that’s the case, and $14.7MM is the base value of the extension, it would represent a nice salary bump for the veteran tight end, whose last deal was worth $4.375MM annually. A $7.35MM per-year salary would put Walker in line with Dwayne Allen, and right in between Jason Witten and Kyle Rudolph.

Walker, 31, enjoyed a career year and earned his first Pro Bowl berth in 2015, his 10th NFL season. After averaging about 18 receptions per season from 2006 to 2012 in San Francisco, Walker has seen his production spike in Tennessee during the last three years. The former sixth-round pick broke the 60-catch threshold in 2013 and 2014, then exploded for 94 receptions, 1,088 yards, and six touchdowns in 2015 — all of those numbers are career highs.

Having landed a franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota a year ago, the Titans continue to attempt to surround the young signal-caller with weapons — this offseason, the team has brought in running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, along with wide receiver Rishard Matthews. So while Walker figures to remain one of Mariota’s favorite targets going forward, the veteran tight end may not be leaned on quite so heavily in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Grigson, Titans

January 1st, 2016 at 6:43pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the AFC South:

Rick Smith has been the Texans’ general manager since 2006, but his role might change sometime during the offseason – perhaps after the draft – tweets Neil Stratton of Inside the League. According to Stratton, Smith could get a promotion (possibly to team president), thus elevating director of player personnel Brian Gaine to GM.
Speaking of AFC South GMs, Mike Wells of ESPN.com took a look at whether Ryan Grigson deserves to continue running the Colts. The reasons to fire Grigson exist in greater quantity than the ones to keep him, Wells writes. One excuse to let Grigson go: a 2013 trade that went horribly awry. Back then, Grigson sent a 2014 first-rounder to Cleveland for running back Trent Richardson, who spent two unproductive seasons in Indy and is now out of the NFL. Further, the imperious Grigson has meddled in the affairs of head coach Chuck Pagano – who’s also a candidate for the chopping block.
Titans interim head coach Mike Mularkey has a supporter in tight end Delanie Walker, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). Walker, who easily leads the Titans in receptions (85), yards (994) and touchdowns (six), thinks Mularkey is capable of fixing the team’s problems if he is promoted to the full-time head coaching role. That seems unlikely, however, especially given Mularkey’s lack of results as a head coach. He’s just 18-37 in three-plus seasons with the Bills, Jaguars and Titans.
If the Titans do move on from Mularkey, Bob Brookover of Philly.com offers his version of the perfect replacement: erstwhile Eagles coach Chip Kelly. Of course, Kelly and Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota were together previously at Oregon and helped the Ducks to a 12-1 record and second overall ranking in 2012. Brookover thinks a Kelly-Mariota reunion should be too enticing for Tennesee to let go by the wayside.

Extra Points: Goldson, Cowboys, Draft, Titans

November 14th, 2014 at 9:23pm CST by Rob DiRe

As free agency and cap management is becoming more notable in teambuilding, Kevin Seifert of ESPN takes a closer look at six of the league’s most inflated contracts and the effects they are having on their team’s roster. He dissects the contracts of Jay Cutler, Ndamukong Suh, Joe Flacco, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tony Romo, and how each team will likely deal with the large cap numbers going forward.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

The Buccaneers put together one of the most high profile secondaries out of nowhere before the 2013 season, signing Darrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson and drafting Mark Barron at the top of the first round. Not long after, Revis was released and Barron was traded, leaving only Goldson on the roster, and he may be the next to go, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. Goldson has played less as the season goes on, and with large money attached to his contract, the team may choose to go younger and cheaper at the safety position.
Much has been made of the Cowboys as they approach their decision on what to do with offensive stars Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, with many pundits and fans expecting long-term extensions for both. Murray also seems like an obvious franchise tag candidate, but Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News could see the Cowboys surprising us and rewarding Murray with the long-term deal while franchising Bryant at the higher tag price.
Although the 2015 NFL draft order has not even been set, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay of ESPN are already working hard to evaluate both the prospects available as well as the needs of NFL teams. They look at the possibility teams like the Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers, and Titans would take a quarterback such as Marcus Mariota of Oregon or Jameis Winston of Florida State at the top of the draft, and look at other questions surrounding the draft.
The Titans may be in position to draft high at the top of the first round, but in no way will that be on purpose, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “It is ludicrous to me. Fans don’t understand the situation we go through as players,” said tight end Delanie Walker. “No one wants to lose games for better picks. It just doesn’t happen. It would never happen. Just the thought is ludicrous.”