One veteran quarterback could be off the market before he even reached it this offseason.
According to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, new Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon told reporters Tuesday at the NFL combine he’s “excited about moving forward with” Ryan Tannehill on the roster.
“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,” Carthon said during his comments. “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.”
Carthon raised eyebrows shortly after he accepted the Tennessee gig when he said last month he needed “more time to evaluate and make those decisions” regarding the futures of players such as Tannehill.
According to Nick Suss of The Nashville Tennessean, the Titans could save $27 million against the salary cap by waiving or trading Tannehill after June 1.
Tannehill is in the final year of his contract, and Carthon said Tuesday it wouldn’t be “fair” to the 34-year-old to publicly speak about the two parties potentially altering the deal to decrease the quarterback’s cap number.
Carthon also praised Tannehill for his commitment to rehabbing the ankle issue that cost him five games this past season.
“He’s in the building every day. He’s doing his work and he’s around the guys so I respect that about him,” Carthon added about Tannehill.
The New York Jets reportedly are high on Tannehill to the point that they may have him as high as third among their options for the position this winter.
Gang Green still doesn’t know if Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers would facilitate a trade to New York or if free agent Derek Carr will potentially sign elsewhere.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas made it clear on Tuesday that somebody such as Tannehill will have to mentor 2021 second-overall draft pick Zach Wilson. Tannehill initially sounded annoyed about having to work with then-rookie Malik Willis last spring, but the two silenced any chatter about a possible issue well before the start of the season.