Because quarterback Ryan Tannehill has a $36.6 million cap hit in 2023, there’s been some speculation that the Titans could move on from him this offseason.
At this point, it doesn’t sound like they’re planning to do that. But General Manager Ran Carthon also made it clear during his Tuesday press conference that he’s not planning on hashing out those kinds of issues in public.
“Ryan’s done a great job,” Carthon said at the Combine. “He’s won a lot of football games, as you guys know. He’s been a diligent worker, he’s been in the building every day rehabbing and getting his work in.
“So, he’s under contract and we’re excited about moving forward with him. Like I said, he’s done a lot of great things and I have a ton of respect for him.”
Because that statement does leave some wiggle room, Carthon was explicitly asked as a follow-up if Tannehill will be Tennessee’s quarterback in 2023.
“Ryan is under contract,” Carthon said. “I just want to speak freely for a moment, I know everybody wants to make a big deal out of the quarterback position and whether he will or won’t be here. But you guys just have to accept the fact that Ryan is under contract for us and right now he is a Titan and he will be a Titan.”
Could the Titans re-work Tannehill’s contract to lower his cap number?
“Well, I mean, honestly I don’t want to speak on his contract status because I don’t think that’s fair to him, I don’t think it’s fair to his reps because we haven’t approached that or thought about that with them,” Carthon said. “So, I don’t want to speak about that publicly.”
Since taking over as Tennessee’s starter midway through the 2019 season, Tannehill has led the club to a 36-19 record in 55 starts. He’s also won a pair of playoff games, though they both came in the 2019 postseason.
Carthon said he had been familiar with Tannehill since evaluating him coming out of Texas A&M. But he’s also enjoyed getting to know the QB being in the same building every day.
“You get to know the dude and how he works,” Carthon said. “And, again, quarterback is one of those diligent-working positions. And you see those guys all throughout your building all throughout the year. And Ryan is everything that a quarterback is. He’s in the building every day. He’s doing his work and he’s around the guys so I respect that about him.”