Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Antonio to the Raiders, talking edge rusher free agents

Episode Date: March 11, 2019

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked on Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you today? Doing pretty good. What's going on with you? Legal tampering time, man. I love it. We're going to get into all of that today. Antonio Brown trade was finally completed over the weekend, so we'll kind of break down our thoughts on that. Before we do that, I want to remind you to write for me at CMiracles.com. We're here with the Titans for SB Nation. Check us out there.

You can also follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry's at tlamberttn. Get the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Just search out Locked on Titans. You can also play us on your smart speaker in your car or your house. Just say play podcast Locked on Titans, and you will get us there. We have a voicemail line.

If you want to call and leave us a voicemail, 615-787-8762. Leave us a minute-long voicemail reaction, anything we say on the show, question, whatever it is, leave us a voicemail there, and we will play them as part of a show. Just kind of through these coming weeks, we're going to have a lot in and out, so we'll get to those as we can. But go ahead and leave those in there. That's been awesome.

It's provided us a lot of good content, so we're appreciative of that all right so first thing today antonio brown uh the trade to the raiders became official or kind of official i guess over the weekend uh raiders give up a third and a fifth for antonio brown they also gave him a new contract um that i mean i guess it's not an extension but i think they tore up his current deal gave him a new contract that, I mean, it's not an extension, but I think they tore up his current deal, gave him a new deal that has $30 million in guaranteed money on it. It can be worth up to, I think, $50 million, but this is coming from a deal that had no guaranteed money left on it. So, you know, you kind of get out of the end here.

And, you know, the third and the fifth, as far as the conversation giving up for him, I think any of us would have been fine with the Titans doing something like that. But really what it came down to was, you know, obviously the personality and then the contract. And you just kind of see at the end the Raiders are the only team left. And so I really think that that tells you really all you need to know about this deal. All the people that are, you know, screaming and yelling because the Titans don't want to beat anybody other than 9-7. They hate winning because they weren't willing to make this deal. Look at the team that made it.

The only team left at the end was the Raiders, and they are perennially bad. So, I mean, I don't know. I just think when you're in the side that is not with the team that's always bad, it's probably a pretty good decision by your team's organization. I think the contract is probably something we didn't talk enough about as a factor in this. You give up a three and a five. They were never getting a one.

It was just never going to happen. I think we said that. With everything that was going on, the personality and the drama and all that, the aging, you were never going to get a one. You get a three and a five, you get his deal off the books, and Oakland gives him three years, $50 million, average salary of $16.7 million. That's crazy. He's going to be 31 in July, I believe. They're going to pay a 31, a 32, a 33-year-old receiver $16 million a year. That's just wild. I believe they're gonna pay a 31 a 32 a 33 year old receiver 16 million dollars a year That's just wild. I mean, I know they need star power going into Las Vegas

I get all that had a needed receiver. I get that, you know Apparently they've got money to spend because they've already made a big splash and free agency as well But yeah, I'm just I'm glad the Titans steered clear. I think there are honestly better options in free agency here, as we're going to see now John Robinson has stepped up to the plate and, like we've said, kind of overpaid for one of these guys. But as far as the headache goes, I'm glad he's not here. You know, the compensation made sense, but it would have sucked too much cap away from this team.

Yeah, that's the thing. I mean, like you said, they're ultimately going to end up, I guess, quote, overpaying for somebody. They need to do that. So, I mean, I'm not sure how much it's actually overpaying if it's something that you really need. And, you know, you have other teams that you're bidding against. I mean, that's a whole other discussion. But, you know, the Titans need a receiver. No doubt about that.

But we're talking about a guy who's going to be 31 years old, giving all that money to, has the history that he has with what happened last year, wants to say that after he's going to be happy in his first year, but then wants to say after this year he's going to have 1,200 yards again and decides he needs more money. I mean, there's nothing to stop him from doing that because he successfully forced his way out and then basically got a deal shut down to go to Buffalo, got to go to the Raiders, which is obviously a team that he was okay with, had a picture of his kid on social media

in a Raiders helmet already hours after the deal was completed. So, listen, I'm good with the way that things played out. I'm good with the Titans just kind of passing on that. And we had this discussion at the end of the week last week. The Titans got in there. They tried to figure out what it was going to take to get him draft pick and contract compensation included. And John Robinson was basically like, hey, we'll sit this one out. You know, if things go south with a bunch of other teams,

things get a little bit cheaper, you know, we might get back involved at that point. But, I mean, I like that. We talked about this last week, but I like the report, 3HL, Ian Rappaport, saying that John Robinson is always going to check in on things. So you like that. I mean, I don't think that he's afraid to make moves, that he's afraid to make this team better, which I've seen people say that today, which I don't understand.

But, you know, you have to have a price. You have to understand your team chemistry, the makeup, salary cap, all that type of stuff. And this one just ended up not making sense. And, again, if you're on the side that's not with the Raiders, I think that's a good place to be. Yeah, and you wonder what the Titans would have given up there. A three wasn't going to get it done.

It was a three and a five. You know, Titans had already traded away a sixth. Didn't have many draft picks last year. John Robinson has already said we're more likely to go backwards than we are forwards this year. It just feels like he's putting a big value on these picks this year after what he did last year. So maybe they were willing to give up a three.

Who knows? But I'm kind of surprised that it was only a three. I thought at least a two would get in there. So interesting, but I'm like you. I'm just kind of glad that we don't have to deal with it. It would have been a risky move. I think it's an unnecessary move. I think the Titans can really fill what they need via free agency,

maybe the draft, but I hope free agency. So at the end of the day, yes, the Titans didn't make the big splash again, but in this case, I'm happy they didn't. Yeah, absolutely. All right, so coming up, we're going to get a little bit into the discussion of free agency with the news that just in Houston was released, I guess, late last night. So we'll talk a little bit about that, including a voicemail from a listener. Hey, guys.

It's Mike from Denver, Colorado calling again. I wanted to call in to get a little feedback on a couple off-season acquisitions that could potentially happen. Knowing that Justin Houston or Dee Ford is now on the trading block for KC, what do you think about a big-time splash trade for one of those players to add to the front seven? And in the draft, we hit the first round off with uh paris campbell from ohio state looking at his skill set him as a prospect i see a extremely better version than taewon taylor

what the titans want him to be as far as what we get out of this prospect or um the other receiver for oldman if not metcalf i think metcalf is a little stiff. He had extremely good numbers, but his quickness, his shuttle time was pretty much the lowest. So give me your guys' thoughts. Thank you very much. Bye-bye. Yeah, so, I mean, like I said, Justin Houston got released, so you don't have to give up anything for him.

That was a deal where, you know, it was reported like a week ago that he was going to be released, and then they walked it back. Chiefs were still trying to trade him at that point. I think once you get to the point where that report's out there, it obviously makes it pretty hard to trade a player. I think between him and D4 at this point, Houston is the guy that you don't have to give him anything to get. That's at least somewhat more of an attractive option,

just when you consider that. And again, like Terry was saying before, John Robinson has said they kind of need picks this year. So I think that's something that they should definitely be interested in. I think you could probably get him on a shorter-term deal. You may have to give him quite a bit of money in years one and two, but something that you could do, and you could still pay him while he's productive productive and it wouldn't hurt you down the road.

So that's kind of the guy that I would be more interested in at this point. They need edge rushers. They need probably more than one, so it wouldn't hurt them to get one in free agency and one in the draft. There are a couple of options. I mean, you've got two or three, four guys that are going to be out there that have, you know, at least there's been reports that the Titans are interested in. So I think they end up with one of, you know, Houston, Preston Smith,

Darius Smith, Trey Flowers, one of those guys I think probably ends up here and I think probably needs to end up here because even if you get a draft pick, they just need guys to be part of that rotation right now Yeah, the default part of the question is interesting because what would you give up there? Would you give up a to? You know a default is not as young as I thought he was he's gonna be 28 next year 13 sacks last season great production But what did he done before what has he done before that? It was 2016, he had 10 sacks. He only played six games in 2017.

I'm just a little weary of that, that one big year type guys, plus he's going to be 28 years old, would be a longer-term fix. But he's, what, two years younger than Justin Houston, which is kind of weird. That's just not how I had it in my head. But Houston has been a productive player when he's been on the field. You know, the last four years, 11 games, five games, 15 games, and 12 games. So he's missed some time with injury. You know, like I said, 30 years old.

What would you have to pay him? You know, I'm of the thinking of I think I'd rather let somebody else pay him the big money and go after maybe a longer-term fix in Zedarius Smith or Preston Smith, someone like that. I just think Justin Houston is going to command a little too much money for being 30 years old. Yeah, that could be the case.

Like I said, those are just the kind of things you've got to weigh as far as short-term production over maybe less money, I guess, on the whole, versus guys you think can maybe come in and help you for four or five years. Like I said, I think they end up with one of those guys. I think they probably need to do that. So that'll be something that we'll definitely be watching as we move into – we're recording this on Monday. Like I said, we've just started the legal tampering period. Free Agency actually opens on Wednesday afternoon at 3 Nashville time.

So the Titans are pretty good at keeping things close to the vest. So I don't know how much we'll hear. I just remember last year they signed Malcolm Butler like 45 minutes into free agency, and we hadn't really seen reports that they were even linked to him. So they're pretty good at keeping things quiet. We'll see if that continues on this year. All right, coming up to end the show, we will kind of give some predictions that we think are going to happen

for Titans free agency. So I think the Titans really need to come away from the first couple ways of free agency with at least one receiver and at least one edge rusher so that that's kind of what i'm thinking they're going to do uh you don't have a terribly deep receivers receiving class i mean you got tyrell williams like this guy that everybody's going to be after then you got your adam humphries your golden tate cole beasley uh there's some other guys out there as well jameson crowder not as many people are talking after, then you've got your Adam Humphreys, your Golden Tate, Cole Beasley. There's some other guys out there as well, Jameson Crowder,

not as many people are talking about. You know, guys like that, they're going to be available. John Brown, another guy that we both like. So, I mean, I don't think they're going to get Tyrell Williams. I really, really wish they would. But I think somebody's going to give him pretty crazy money. But I wouldn't be surprised if you saw, like, a John Brown-Adam Humphreys combination here.

And I don't love Adam Humphreys. I mean, I think he's a good player. I think he would definitely help this team. When you're seeing reports that he's going to get $12 million, $14 million a year, that seems a little bit crazy to me. And if that's true, then I'm not sure that that's something that John Robinson is going to be willing to do but I think

at least get one of those receivers that was mentioned and then I think you end up with one of, probably like Preston Smith I think you end up with one of those guys so that's kind of what I'm thinking will happen and then I think you'll see something similar to last year where they go into the second, third, fourth wave

then they're looking for interior offensive linemen those kind of that kind of stuff bring those guys in and maybe they draft one of those guys high and you have kind of a competition there remember that's what they did last year i mean we we thought they needed interior offensive line help last year they waited they signed uh suafilo and kevin pamphile we thought those guys would compete with Quentin Spain. That was never really a competition. I mean, Spain was pretty much a starter from day one. But I think it's unlikely that Spain's back here next year. So then you have a starting spot that you do have to fill.

Don't know that they have anybody on the roster that they feel comfortable with that. So I think they'll look at that too, but I think that's probably later into the free agency process. I thought we'd hear more about Golden Tate to this point being linked to the Titans, but we just haven't. It doesn't seem like Golden Tate's all that interested in being here. That's a receiver option you've got. You mentioned Tyrell Williams.

It's just so hard to pinpoint a free agent receiver that this team would go after. There's a ton of names out there. It's really hard to predict that one. I think it's easier to predict the edge rusher. I think I've zeroed in on Preston Smith and Zedarius Smith. I think they'll walk away with one of those guys. They don't have fantastic production, but I don't think you sign either of those guys to be like a full-time player.

You know, I think they come into the rotation, give you a bunch of reps. They might start, but I don't think you're signing them to be a full-time player, just with the players that the Titans already have. So I think they're kind of – they're probably in that tier two of pass rushers there. Maybe Preston Smith is a little higher. Eight sacks in 2017, four sacks in 2018. So a couple of buy low options there. You got Zedaria Smith, who has the obvious connection to Dean Pease.

If I had to put a name out there as one guy I think the Titans are going to sign, that's where I'd go. Yeah, absolutely. It makes just a lot of sense as far as that's concerned. So we'll keep an eye on that uh all right like i said we're into the free agency period now um so we will have plenty more we've got a tracker up at newsymmiracles.com so you can see all the latest news as soon as it happens we'll be adding it there uh like i said follow us on twitter i'm at jay morris mcm terry's

at t lambert tn uh you can get information there as well. Subscribe to the podcast, Locked on Titans, if you haven't already done that, so you'll get the new shows as soon as they're available. We'll be doing two or three more this week, so keep an eye out for that. So for Terry, this is Jimmy saying thanks for listening to Locked on Titans, and we will talk to you later this week.