Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Aaron Rodgers to Tennessee Titans a PERFECT FIT, Kirk Cousins is ZERO FUN & Say NO to Sam Darnold

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

The Tennessee Titans will be needing a new quarterback in 2025 and the smartest route is to go get a veteran bridge guy and there are some very recognizable names who could be on the market. First of all, Aaron Rodgers, who recently spoke highly of Tennessee as a state while sporting a wily grin. Second is Kirk Cousins, who does fills the need in theory, but provides zero fun and even less upside. Finally, Sam Darnold is the top veteran option, but the financial commitment should scare the Titans away.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

It sounds like the Tennessee Titans do not want to draft a quarterback, and I think Aaron Rogers is the perfect veteran fit in 2025. I'll explain on today's edition of Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome! Your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans.

Today's Christmas edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. New customers can place a $5 bet and get started with $250 in bonus bets. If you win your first $5 bet, visit Fandle.com to get started. On today's episode, we're going to go over a new report suggesting that the Tennessee Titans do not want to draft a quarterback. And I'm going to tell you why I agree with that. Then we will spin forward because we all know that we hope Santa brings us a new quarterback in 2025.

I'm going to look at the veteran fit starting with Aaron Rodgers, who is my top choice out of them all. Before we dive into it, though, I do want to thank you again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first to listen each and every day, including Christmas. Locked on Titans is all year round, five days a week, always free. And as you guys know, my everydayers know, I do not miss an episode. So make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. And hey, it's Christmas.

I'm delivering an episode to you guys. If you listen to the podcast on Apple, if you want to throw a five-star review on the show, I would greatly appreciate it. But with that being said, got Crossover Thursday coming tomorrow with Tony Wiggins, got a game plan episode coming for you on Friday, and then of course I'll be live after the game ends on Sunday to break down all of the action. But we got a recent report here that I think is very interesting, and I think

a lot of you guys out there are going to be very interested to hear what it is. And it comes from Buck Rising, who is a local Nashville radio host, also works for A to Z Sports. And he had something interesting to say recently about the Tennessee Titans and gave some insight into what the people inside the building are thinking. And Buck said this, quote, this front office does not want to draft a quarterback. Let me repeat that. This front office does not want to draft a quarterback.

I tell you that definitively right now. Whether they end up doing so or not is interesting because I think that that would be telling about who is actually running the show. But I've heard from multiple people in that front office and they are not interested in this quarterback class. And that's pretty common thought. They would prefer to do the stopgap quarterback method and try and build out the best possible team and pursue other quarterback options in the future. End quote. So that's the

quote right there. Now, you have a decision to make right now. Do you believe what Buck is saying right there? Or do you think, you know, it's nonsense? Because the reaction online to that is, there is a fair share of, oh, Buck's full of crap and there's a fair share of people who believe what he's saying is true. I will tell you this. I know that my interactions with Buck

Rising have been checkered at best, I will say. But I believe Buck. I believe what he is saying right here and what he said right there. I believe it's true. I do. I don't believe that the front office

wants to draft a quarterback right now. I don't think that they like this draft class. There's a lot of people out there who are terrified of this quarterback draft class with Shadur Sanders and Cam Ward at the top. This is not a great quarterback class. I continue to say it. I will continue to say it. If those two quarterbacks were in last year's class, they probably don't go in the first round. They're the sixth and seventh best quarterback

in those draft classes, potentially. Maybe even seventh and eighth. So to bump those guys all the way up to a top five pick, that reeks of desperation. And I also agree that the right thing to do is get a stopgap quarterback and build the rest of the roster. Even if the Titans draft Shadur Sanders, even if the Titans draft Cam Ward, do you think that those quarterbacks are good enough to come in right away and make this team a winner? With the hole at right tackle and wide receiver and right guard and maybe center if Cush isn't healthy.

And did I say wide receiver already? Because they need two of them, all right? And then on defense, we don't even need to get into that. So I don't think that this team is a quarterback away. I feel like if you put a rookie quarterback in this situation, they will fail. Period. That's what it comes down to.

So I choose to, and we all get to make our choice, I choose to believe what Buck is saying right here and agree with him. Now, the most interesting part is where he says whether or not they do so is interesting because I think that would be telling about who is actually running the show. If the Titans front office does not want to draft a quarterback,

but they draft a quarterback anyways, that would tell you it came from ownership. And if ownership is dictating which quarterback they choose, that's concerning. Because quite frankly, Amy Adams Strunk is not qualified to tell Rancar Thon what players to pick. And we already got a report from Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. I don't know who he works for now, but that's who he worked for then.

Saying that Amy Adams Strunk is the one who wanted Will Levis. Do you believe that? Again, when you hear reports, it's up to you to decide whether or not you want to believe them. So I am very interested to see what this team does, but I agree with what Buck is saying right here and agree with what he's saying right here and agree with what he's relaying to us from the front office. They want to bridge quarterback. They want to

build the rest of the roster. They want to get elite talents at other positions other than quarterback in hopes to build up the team to be ready for a quarterback, and the best way to do that while also attempting to win as many games as you can is to get a bridge veteran quarterback right now. That is what I think is the right path going forward. You go out, you get a veteran quarterback for cheap without a long-term commitment, and you try to stack the rest of the roster to prepare for when you get a quarterback in 2026 or 2027 heading into the new stadium. That's what I want to see from the Tennessee Titans. So hearing this report, whether you believe it or you don't,

I do believe it, and I hope. Maybe I just choose to believe it because it's what I want to do. So I'm happy to hear about it. That's perfectly fine. And look, I'm not sitting here saying that Shadur Sanders and Cam Ward are not going to be good players. I don't know that. sitting here saying that Shadur Sanders and Cam Ward are not going to be good players. I don't know that. I'm just not super confident about their ability to turn this roster around and with

this coaching. So I think Brian Callahan comes back. The safest thing to do is get a veteran quarterback so that if it doesn't work, you can move on after the year from Brian Callahan, move on from the veteran quarterback, draft your new quarterback in 2026 with hopefully better offensive line play, better pass rush, better wide receivers. Seems pretty cut and dry to me, and that's what I would be interested in. So, based on this report, if we're talking veteran quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers is clearly the best fit, in my opinion, and I'll explain why.

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That's FanDuel.com for your chance at $250 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Titans fans, let's continue today's Christmas edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to all of you guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. We talked about this report we got from Buck Rising

about the Titans' thoughts on the quarterback position. I agree with what the Titans are saying if you believe Buck's report. And if we are looking at a veteran quarterback instead of a quarterback in the draft, who are the options? What makes sense? And in recent weeks

things have gotten way more interesting with some of the names that are going to be on the market. And based on the potential names that could be out there, I think Aaron Rodgers is the best fit for the Tennessee Titans. And it sounds like Aaron Rodgers may be interested in coming to Tennessee. On the Pat McAfee show this week, on Monday, on the Pat McAfee show this week, on Monday, on the Pat McAfee show, Aaron Rodgers made an appearance,

as he is prone to do. And the state of Tennessee got brought up. I believe they were talking about the Tennessee Vols-Ohio State game. Go Bucs. Sorry, guys. You know, sorry. But Aaron Rodgers had this to say. Quote, Shout out to the great state of Tennessee.

Phenomenal state. Great people out there. Great people. No state income tax. Lot of great country music. The barbecue in Memphis. And while he was doing that, and I retweeted the video on my Twitter at Tic Tac Titans if you want to watch the video.

Both the Buck Rising quote and the Aaron Rodgers quote, I retweeted on my Twitter at Tic Tac Titans if you want to check it out. But I will tell you that if you look at Aaron Rodgers while he's delivering that quote, he has a bit of a twinkle in his eye. He's got a wry smile, almost you could call it a smirk on his face. Reportedly, the New York Jets are set to cut Aaron Rodgers after the year. If Aaron Rodgers becomes available on the market,

that is my number one bridge quarterback. Number one. For a couple of different reasons. Number one. His fit in the system. Brian Callahan wants a quick-timing passing offense where you get the ball out quick, you read the defense quickly,

you make the right decision, and you throw on target. That simple. Well, Aaron Rodgers, as you should recall, if you remember when the Titans played the Jets oh so long ago in week two, Aaron Rodgers has been getting rid of the ball

fast as possible all year long because he doesn't want to take hits because he's an old man. So you could look at it that negatively like, oh, well, then he's not going to hold the ball long enough to make plays down the field, blah, blah, blah, blah. Okay, I don't care because he fits perfect

in what the philosophy is going to be. Also, also, Aaron Rodgers has been pretty good this year. Is he Aaron Rodgers of a couple of years ago? MVP Rodgers, his prime Rodgers? No, he's not. But I'm sorry. Aaron Rodgers has 3,500 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions.

If you don't want that in Tennessee after what we just watched this year, what are we talking about? So don't tell me that Aaron Rodgers isn't good enough to be the Titans' bridge quarterback. Who is going to be better? You think Sam Darnold is going to be better in Tennessee than Aaron Rodgers? I don't know about that I think Aaron Rodgers is definitely better

than Kirk Cousins at this stage in their careers well you want to talk about Derek Carr we're going to talk about Derek Carr give me Aaron Rodgers out of all those guys like and here's the other side of it too whereas Sam Darnold is

probably going to get a multi-year contract worth a good chunk of change. And we'll talk about Sam Darnold at the end of the show when I talk about guys that I don't want. Sam Darnold is going to get a large chunk of change and probably a two to three year

contract. What I fear is the Titans have Sam Darnold's going to get a large chunk of change and probably a two to three year contract. What I fear is the Titans have Sam Darnold so they pass on a quarterback in future drafts. 2026, 2027. Oh, we got Sam Darnold. We don't need to do it. With Aaron Rodgers, it's probably one season. One year and then he's going to be done after the year. One year.

So you go your one year with Rodgers. You go your one year with Brian Callahan. And then after the season, you have no future commitment to Aaron Rodgers. You can clearly just draft a quarterback and move forward. And you can get rid of Brian Callahan because, hey, we saw you not develop Will Levis. We saw you with Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks of all time, even if he's in his 40s, and you were not able to win games.

To me, it gives you answers, and it gives you flexibility into the future. And if you want to talk about money, I saw some people react and say, Rodgers is going to want a ton of money and a ton of control, and no, he's not. No, he's not. No, he's not. Rodgers would come to Tennessee as the beginning of his retirement. He lives in Tennessee. He has property in Nashville.

He can get comfortable and get settled in his post-NFL career and situation. He can let the Titans do their thing with the roster. He's not going to do the, oh, we got to sign Randall Cobb we got to sign Alan Lazard we got to go get Devontae Adams too but is that the worst thing you've ever heard? if the Titans bring in Devontae Adams with Aaron Rodgers and see if they can win games with Brian Callahan like so what?

what is the other option next year? you think the Titans are going to win significantly more games with Sam Darnold? you think the Titans are going to win significantly more games with Sam Darnold? You think the Titans are going to win significantly more games with Kirk Cousins, with a rookie quarterback? What is the other option that is so much better than taking a chance on old man Rodgers and Devontae Adams? At least we will know at the end of the year.

Time to draft a quarterback in a better quarterback class. Time to fire Brian Callahan and hire a new coach too. Like, what's the downside here? And again, I talk about the control part of things. You know, I don't think that Rodgers is going to come in

and demand certain things like he did with the Jets. He's in a different stage of his career right now than what he thought he was before his Achilles tear with the Jets. And the Jets are a totally different franchise than the Titans. They're not going to be told what to do like that. It's just not the same. And it's not like Aaron Rogers is going to expect a ton of money. I don't know exactly how much guaranteed money is left from the New York Jets, but most likely we're going to see Aaron Rodgers have offset language. You know why Russell Wilson played for the Steelers for a veteran minimum contract? It's because every dollar that the Steelers give him is an additional money.

It's offset with this Broncos dead money that the Broncos had to pay him when they cut him. It's going to be the same thing with Kirk Cousins. It's going to be the same thing with Aaron Rodgers when both those guys get released. Now, if Aaron Rodgers doesn't get released, okay, whatever, you know, we move to a different option. But if Rodgers is released,

like right now is the prevailing thought, then why not? Then why not? You need a bridge quarterback who can help you evaluate Brian Callahan, who also makes the team more fun. Let's just have a fun season. With minimal future commitment. Like, it is perfect, in my opinion.

Aaron Rodgers is a perfect fit for the Titans in 2025. It's great for him. It's great for the Titans. It's great for the future of the team. Now, I mentioned his name earlier. I will tell you this. If you want to do that on a lower level, you could go with like Derek Carr.

I would prefer Derek Carr to Kirk Cousins or paying Sam Darnold a ton of money. Is Derek Carr as good as Sam Darnold? They're pretty similar in my opinion. I don't really think it's a huge drop off in talent, quite honestly. And Derek Carr is going to want less money. Now, Carr is going to be more expensive

than Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. I give you that. But if you did a two-year deal worth $60-70 million with only one year guaranteed, let's say they guaranteed Derek Carr $30 million in the first year. And then you move on after the year. It's that simple. I don't really want to do that, but compared to the other options that we have, well, it doesn't sound too bad.

And I'll explain why I do not want Sam Darnold right now. Before I do, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix. If you love watching the game, you're going to love PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports, whether it be football, basketball, or any of your favorite sports. PrizePix makes the holidays bigger and brighter.

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You know, not asking for a lot, but be a nice Christmas present for your boy. But we talked about a recent report indicating the Titans do not want to draft a quarterback, which I'm fully on board with. We talked about my perfect fit for the Titans and Aaron Rodgers, but now I want to talk about people who I'm not as interested in. And the number one name is Sam Darnold. You're going to hear me say this quite a bit between now and free agency. Just say no to Sam Darnold.

Just say no to Sam Darnold. Just say no. Look, a couple of different factors come into play. One, my opinion of the player, my opinion of the Titans situation, and then the financials. So number one, my opinion of the player. Sam Darnold is the same exact player he was for the Jets, player he was for the Jets,

and he was for the Panthers, and he was for San Francisco. He is the same exact guy. He's just in a better situation. Minnesota has two really good tackles. Minnesota has Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and TJ Hawkinson and Aaron Jones and Kevin O'Connell, offensive coordinator, head coach. They have Brian Flores' defense, which has created a ton of turnovers and swallows other offenses alive, not only giving more opportunities

to Sam Darnold, but also eliminating his mistakes. Sam Darnold has made a lot of turnovers this year, but because the Minnesota Vikings defense is so good, they haven't been punished for them the way that, you know, like the Titans have. If you put Sam Darnold on the Tennessee Titans this season, they don't win a single additional game. If you put Sam Darnold on this team right now, they are still three and a million. I'm fully convinced of that.

Sam Darnold would not change this. If Sam Darnold was on the Titans right now, they would not have a single additional win. Not one. That's how I feel. And if you do think they would have a couple more wins, it's only a couple more wins. It's not like Sam Darnold would make this team a playoff team. So I do not buy Sam Darnold. He is the same player he's always been. He is just in an incredible situation. And I think the reality is that the casual fans understanding of football

is skewed to give more importance to the quarterback than they should get. Football is the ultimate team sport. I think a ton of these quarterbacks would look good if they had a great team around them. Tim Tebow won a playoff game. I mean, Kenny Pickett and the Steelers got close

to playoff time. A lot of these NFL quarterbacks, if you took Baker Mayfield, if you took Derek Carr, if you took Aaron Rodgers this year, if you took Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, Kirk Cousins, I mean, if you take about any of these quarterbacks

that we're talking about right now and put them on the Vikings, the Vikings would be just as good. The Titans do not present that environment. The whole point of not wanting to draft a quarterback and build out the roster is the understanding that this roster is not good, and even if they drafted a good rookie quarterback, they would fail because the system and the environment around the quarterback is not good enough.

So if you put Sam Darnold in this environment, it's not going to change anything. And the key to all of those things is the financials. If Sam Darnold was a veteran minimum, if Sam Darnold was $20 million for one year, I'm all for it. I'm all for even knowing for one year, I'm all for it. I'm all for even knowing all those things. I'm all for it. But Sam Darnold is going to get a three-year contract worth $150 million. He's going to get $50 million a year guaranteed at least two of those years.

There is going to be a bidding war for Sam Darnold. I do not want the Tennessee Titans to be the team that pays Sam Darnold $50 million a year on a three-year contract with two years guaranteed so that next year when the Titans need to draft a quarterback they can lie to themselves and say, oh, well, we got Sam Darnold. No, no, maybe, maybe they'll be smart enough to ignore that and still draft a quarterback anyway, but probably not.

They'll tell themselves, hey, we got Sam Darnold. We don't need to draft a quarterback yet. That would be a big mistake in 2026 and 2027. So Sam Darnold is a player who I'm not high on. I don't care what happens in Minnesota because the environment that he has is not replicable in Tennessee right now. And for the money that Sam Darnold is going to get paid this offseason, just say no to Sam Darnold is going to get paid this offseason. Just say no to Sam Darnold.

But with that being said, we got a lot of quarterback conversation coming this offseason, so we will get to everybody like Justin Fields and Jameis Winston and more Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins, and we'll get there. We will get there. But my perfect fit is Aaron Rodgers. Just say no to Sam Darnold. But with that being said, again, Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays. Thank you all for tuning in. That's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. you