Originally drafted to be the Miami Dolphins’ franchise quarterback with the eighth pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Ryan Tannehill has had a fascinating career. After six seasons as the starter for the Dolphins, Tannehill was traded to Miami for a fourth and seventh-round pick in 2019.
By Week 7, Tannehill had pushed Marcus Mariota aside, earning the starting role in Tennessee. He then spent the next three seasons starting for the Titans, reaching the playoffs each year from 2019-21.
Now, the soon-to-be 35-year-old Lubbock, Texas native could be on the move again. Having not only missed five games with injury in 2022 but also hurting his team’s chances to win by throwing three interceptions in their Divisional Round loss in 2019, Tannehill’s days in Tennessee could be numbered.
It also likely doesn’t help that the Titans selected Malik Willis in the third round with the 86th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, signaling the team has one eye on the future. Tannehill has a cap hit of $36.6 million in 2023. This number may be too high for a quarterback who just barely ranks in the top 20 at his position.
While it’s unknown what the Titans are currently pondering at the QB position with new general manager Ran Carthon taking over, they have said they are in ‘evaluation mode‘ with the roster. This could very well mean Tannehill is cut or traded this offseason.
- Tennessee Titans’ cap penalty if Ryan Tannehill is cut (post-June 1): $9.6M, $27M in savings
- Cap penalty if Tannehill is traded: $18.8M, $17.8M cap savings
Releasing Tannehill outright would penalize the Titans the same as if they traded him. Yet, by designating Tannehill as a post-June 1 cap casualty, they would be able to save more on their 2023 cap number.
First things first, the Titans have to determine whether they’d like to move forward with Tannehill or not. But if the one-time Pro Bowl QB does become available, an NFL team in a massive market may have interest.
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New York Jets expected to look into adding Ryan Tannehill
After witnessing the Zach Wilson debacle unfold before their eyes, the New York Jets will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Yet, with Wilson possibly sticking around on the roster with the hopes he can still develop into a future face of the franchise, an experienced solution may be ideal for coach Robert Saleh in 2023.
This brings us back to Tannehill, who, according to Connor Hughes of SNY, could be a fit in the Big Apple. But Tannehill won’t be the only veteran QB the Jets look into, as he notes other players like Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo as other signal-callers the Jets will gather intel on.
- Ryan Tannehill stats in 2022: 65.2% comp. rate, 2,536 passing yards, 13 TD, 6 INT
It’s far too early to project who may be under center when the Jets begin play for the 2023 season, but after an inspiring 7-10 effort that saw Gang Green fall just short of the playoffs, you can bet they’ll be aggressive.
Already boasting a top-five defense, if their 29th-ranked scoring offense can even become league-average, maybe the Jets could end their 12-year playoff drought. Perhaps Tannehill could be a part of their plans, but is he also still part of the immediate future in Tennessee as well? We should have our answer soon enough.
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