General manager Jon Robinson won’t be searching for loose change under sofa cushions as contract season gets underway in the NFL. The Titans are currently expected to have a healthy $50-60 million worth of room under the projected NFL cap this offseason, a figure that ranks in the top half of the league.
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But this is not a run-of-the-mill offseason for the Titans.
Among the team’s pending 18 unrestricted free agents are the big four of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Derrick Henry, tackle Jack Conklin and cornerback Logan Ryan, all of whom will command pricey new deals.
Then there’s the possibility of dipping into free agency, where the Titans might seek to find an experienced edge-rusher to complement Harold Landry. A high-level player at that position, such as Seattle’s Jadeveon Clowney, might snare a contract worth $20 million per year or more.
So where can the Titans dig up some extra money to pad the reserves for the coming months?
They might have to say goodbye to — or at least re-negotiate deals with — some veteran players.
Here’s a look at five players who could be cap casualties. (All contract figures from spotrac.com.)
5 players at risk
Player: Malcolm Butler
Position: Cornerback
Scheduled 2020 base salary: $11 million
Scheduled 2020 salary-cap number: $13.4 million
Cap savings if cut: $7.4 million
Dead money if cut: $6 million
Outlook: Of the five players listed here, Butler would easily be the biggest surprise cut. That’s primarily because the team would still have $6 million worth of guaranteed money — “dead money” — that would count against the salary cap. In addition, the Titans are facing the possibility of losing fellow cornerback Logan Ryan, who is a pending unrestricted free agent. So despite the fact that the Titans would free up more than $7 million dollars in cap space by cutting Butler, it seems unlikely he will be let go. He had adequate numbers last season, picking off a couple of passes and posting a Pro Football Focus pass-coverage grade of 64.2, which trailed Adoree Jackson, Tramaine Brock and Kevin Byard among the team’s regular defensive backs.
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Player: Dion Lewis
Position: Running back
Scheduled 2020 base salary: $4.3 million
Scheduled 2020 salary-cap number: $5.2 million
Cap savings if cut: $4.0 million
Dead money if cut: $1.1 million
Outlook: The combination of Henry’s effectiveness and Lewis’ inability to make an impact led to a steep drop in playing time and production in 2019. His snaps fell from 600 in 2018 to 366, and his total yards from scrimmage fell from 917 yards in 2018 to 373. Lewis has two years remaining on his contract, with base salaries of $4.3 million and $4.6 million. But it would be a huge upset if this marriage continued into next season. The Titans will almost certainly look for a new back — perhaps even Dalyn Dawkins — who could give them better production at a much more reasonable cost. Cutting Lewis would cost the Titans $1.1 million of dead money, but that $4.0 million savings against the cap would more than make up for it.
Player: Ryan Succop
Position: Kicker
Scheduled 2020 base salary: $3.4 million
Scheduled 2020 salary-cap number: $4.1 million
Cap savings if cut: $2 million
Dead money if cut: $2.1 million
Outlook: In a perfect world, the Titans would love to know if Succop can return as the healthy, effective kicker he’s been for most of his career. If that were the case, the team wouldn’t be concerned about paying him his scheduled $3.4 million base salary for 2020. But it’s hard to say what the status of Succop’s knee will be next season, which creates a dilemma: Do the Titans hope for the best and hold on to Succop? Or do they cut him, freeing up $2 million in cap room? Tennessee does have kicker Greg Joseph under contract. The downside of cutting Succop is that the Titans would be on the hook for $2.1 million worth of dead money, the result of signing him to a five-year, $20 million deal in 2018.
Player: Delanie Walker
Position: Tight end
Scheduled 2020 base salary: $5.4 million
Scheduled 2020 salary-cap number: $8.1 million
Cap savings if cut: $6.4 million
Dead money if cut: $1.7 million
Outlook: Walker has been a huge force for the Titans over his seven years with the franchise, catching 381 passes for 4,423 yards and 28 touchdowns. But the same ankle injury that knocked Walker out for all but one game of the 2018 season eventually sidelined him again after seven games in 2019. That’s not a great sign going forward, especially for a 35-year-old who’s played 14 seasons in the league. If the Titans are interested in retaining Walker, they’d at least want to renegotiate his deal. But with the emergence of Jonnu Smith last fall, the Titans might be ready to move on. They’d have to eat about $1.7 million of dead money under the cap, but the opportunity to add over $6 million of cap room might prove too tempting.
Player: Cameron Wake
Position: Edge-rusher
Scheduled 2020 base salary: $5.5 million
Scheduled 2020 salary-cap number: $8.3 million
Cap savings if cut: $5.7 million
Dead money if cut: $2.7 million
Outlook: Wake had a great debut with the Titans in the 2019 season opener, recording 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. His effectiveness in his remaining eight games might depend on which set of statistics you view. Wake didn’t record another sack during that stretch, but he was still an effective pass-rusher, per Pro Football Focus. In the nine games he played prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury, Wake, who will turn 38 in a few days, finished with the top pass-rushing grade (77.8) among the team’s front seven. His eight quarterback hits wound up fourth on the team, and his 20 quarterback hurries were fourth. The Titans are desperate for edge-rushing help — which is why they signed Wake last year — but the team might decide Wake’s cap money might be better served in trying to sign a younger pass-rusher.
In keeping with the money-ball theme of this article, here’s a look at five Titans who will see significant pay raises next year. Unlike the five players listed above, these five have no worries about getting cut this offseason.
5 players whose salaries will jump in 2020
Player: Kevin Byard
Position: Safety
2019 base salary: $2 million
2020 base salary: $8.6 million
Background: Byard is entering the first season of a five-year, $70.5 million deal with the Titans. His cap hit of $10.9 million will rank seventh among safeties in the NFL. And the deal only gets better for Byard, as his average base salary for four years starting in 2021 will be $12.4 million. Byard has intercepted 17 passes and broken up 38 pass attempts over the past three years.
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Player: Adam Humphries
Position: Wide receiver
2019 base salary:$2 million
2020 base salary: $7 million
Background: Humphries is entering the second season of his four-year, $36 million deal. His cap value will be $9.875 million in 2020, which is 24th in the league among wide receivers. Humphries missed four games last season with an ankle sprain. That’s a big reason his catches (47), yards (374) and first downs (20) were the lowest since his rookie season in 2015.
Player: Taylor Lewan
Position: Left tackle
2019 base salary: $11.1 million
2020 base salary: $16 million
Background: Lewan will enter the second — and most lucrative — season in his five-year, $80 million deal. His cap value will be $18.2 million in 2020, second only to the Giants’ Nate Solder among left tackles. Lewan missed the first four games of 2019 while serving a suspension, but he improved as the season progressed, eventually finishing with an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 73.4, 22nd among tackles who played at least 575 snaps.
Player: Rodger Saffold
Position: Left guard
2019 base salary: $3.5 million
2020 base salary: $9.5 million
Background: Saffold will enter the second season of the four-year, $44 million deal he signed during the 2019 offseason. His cap value will be $12.375 million in 2020, seventh-highest among the league’s guards. Saffold looked shaky at the start of last season but made big strides as he became more comfortable in the system. He didn’t allow a sack in his final 13 games, per PFF.
Player: Kenny Vaccaro
Position: Safety
2019 base salary: $1.25 million
2020 base salary: $4.25 million
Background: Vaccaro will enter the second season of the four-year, $24 million deal he signed last March. He’ll have a cap value of $6.25 million in 2020, ranking him 19th among all safeties. Vaccaro put up some good numbers last year, especially against the run. He recorded 104 tackles, his highest total since 2015.
(Top photo of Dion Lewis: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images)