Edge rusher Arden Key has joined the Titans on a three-year deal, keeping him in the AFC South.
It sounds like he’s going to be motivated to play his former team two times a year.
During his introductory press conference on Monday, Key made it clear that he was expecting to continue playing for the Jaguars in 2023.
“With Jacksonville, it was a shock to me,” Key said, via Nick Suss of The Tennessean. “I ain’t gonna lie. After the year, I thought I was going to be a Jacksonville Jaguar. I felt disrespected. I came over there, lifted up the culture, brought a whole lot of energy, changed the city, changed the town and I felt like in my rightful mind I was going to be a Jacksonville Jaguar. That didn’t happen.”
After posting a career-high 6.5 sacks with San Francisco in 2021, Key signed a one-year deal with Jacksonville in free agency. He appeared in all 17 games with three starts, recording 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and 15 QB hits while playing 41 percent of the Jags’ defensive snaps.
Key noted that when he entered free agency after spending his year with the 49ers, the club was straight up and told him that he was probably seeking something out of their price range. New Titans General Manager Ran Carthon was a part of San Francisco’s personnel staff then and has now brought him to Nashville.
“I still love the players, love the teammates, love the city, love the fans [in Jacksonville],” Key said. “But, yeah, we’ve got to see them twice.”
