A report over the weekend concluded that the Tennessee Titans were unlikely to trade former NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry.
It’s somewhat of a surprise given Tennessee’s status as a 3-5 team without any reasonable expectations of playoff contention moving forward. Meanwhile, the decision to trade All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles last week seemed to suggest that GM Ran Carthon was open for business.
We now have more information on Henry’s status heading into the NFL trade deadline in less than 24 hours.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted on Monday, the deadline passed at 4:00 PM ET for Henry to restructure his contract. This means that he has a $5.5 million base salay remaining for the rest of the season, a number any acquiring team would have to pick up. In short, a deal is now highly unlikely.
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Derrick Henry stats (2023): 526 rushing yards, 15 receptions, 138 yards, 664 total yards, 3 TD
Henry, 29, is still playing at a high level. In fact, the 2019 and 2020 NFL rushing champion is on pace for north of 1,600 total yards this season.
With Henry slated to hit NFL free agency in March, most believed that the Titans were prepared to move him. The former All-Pro is in the back end of his prime. Currently starting rookie Will Levis over the injured Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee is in the initial stages of a rebuild. The two timelines don’t seem to match.
As for the two aforementioned reports, none of this means a deal can’t come together last minute. If a team is willing to offer Tennessee fair-market value for the back, Carthon and Co. would have to listen. In fact, the Titans have already received an offer from an unnamed team.
This is certainly still something to keep an eye on with less than 24 hours to go before the NFL trade deadline passes.