Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Free Agent Options: Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield or Joshua Dobbs??

Episode Date: February 27, 2023

The Tennessee Titans have 2023 free agency right around the corner. Ryan Tannehill is the current starter for the Titans, but that could all change in a few weeks. Would names like Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo make sense or would the Titans be wise to look at some mid-tier options. Names like Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz or Sam Darnold could make sense. Will Ran Carthon simply go backup shopping? Tyler runs through all the free agent options!Follow 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!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Would the Tennessee Titans bring Jimmy Garoppolo to Tennessee? What about some mid-tier options like Carson Wentz or Baker Mayfield? Could the Titans just look for a backup quarterback? We're looking at all the Titans free agent options at quarterback on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans, 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. We're going to be looking at all of the quarterback options in free agency on today's show. It is part one of our 2023 Locked on Titans free agency preview. We're going to be looking at all the guys at the top of the market, like a Jimmy Garoppolo, for instance. Going to be looking at some mid-tier options, and I mean mid in terms of money, but it may also work in other ways as well. We'll look at some purely backup options for the Titans, depending on what they want to do there before they

get into all of it. I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms, all year long, and always for free. Make sure you get

subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. I got my free agency preview is going to continue to roll. We're going to be talking about the combine. Once that gets going, we're going to be talking about the draft. I'm going to be breaking down around 150 to 180 prospects. I mean, a lot of all season content coming your way Monday through Friday. Make sure you get subscribed. Once again, locked on Titans. It's your team every day. But we got to talk about this quarterback position.

Now, number one, Ryan Tannehill. That's where the entire conversation has to start. The Titans, of course, probably will just keep Ryan Tannehill at quarterback in 2023. That is the favorite among situations that could happen and could play out for the Titans. But at the end of the day, the Titans could choose to trade away Ryan Tannehill, save money on his contract if he's a post-June 1st cut. They could save $27 million with $9 million dead. If they cut him right now, they could save nearly $18 million with $18 million in dead money as well.

So the Titans have a couple of different paths they could go with Ryan Tannehill. But if they do decide to part ways with Tannehill, they could look for a veteran option on the free agent market. Now, Jimmy Garoppolo is a name that we haven't discussed a lot on the show so far. And I think he kind of falls into a bucket of another quarterback that we'll touch on here, but Jimmy Garoppolo could make some sense for the Titans. He's in the same tier as Ryan Tannehill.

If they could have Jimmy Garoppolo for less combined money than what they're paying Tannehill right now, like let's say they could get Jimmy Garoppolo for $15 million. Well, Ryan Tannehill's dead money of $18 million and then $15 million for Jimmy Garoppolo, that only brings you to $33 million total that you're paying your starting quarterback, and that's less than the $36 million

that they would pay Ryan Tannehill say they keep him around. So that could be an option. It absolutely could. Rand Carr-Thon spent time with Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, so maybe that makes sense. But I spent time with Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, so maybe that makes sense. But I don't think Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be playing for anywhere near $15 million.

He's nearly the same type of quarterback as Ryan Tannehill or as a Derek Carr, for instance, and those guys are getting paid $35, $36 million. So if I'm Jimmy Garoppolo, I want, you know, $35 million a year to play football. And according to his contract estimate per SpotTrack, that's about where Jimmy Garoppolo is at. The estimate is $34.5 million. So for me, I just don't see an avenue where that would make any sense for the Titans and save them any money. Even if you got Jimmy Garoppolo at $34 million and you cut Ryan Tannehill as a post-June 1st designation, well, that's still $9 million in dead money for Ryan Tannehill and then $34, $35 million for Garoppolo.

Now you're paying $44, $43 million for your starting quarterback. I'd rather just have Tannehill at $36. So that doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. And that's why I've said all along, not with Jimmy Garoppolo, but with the Derek Carr rumors. And of course, Derek Carr is another free agent option for the Titans at the top of the market.

He's going to be looking to get paid around $35 million, according to reports. Again, a guy like Derek Carr, a guy like Jimmy Garoppolo, who is really in the same tier as Ryan Tannehill. I always joke that Jimmy Garoppolo is handsome Tannehill and Derek Carr is emo Tannehill. They're all exactly the same to me. They're in the same tier. So I'm not going to pay more money than what I'm paying Tannehill right now to bring in one of those guys. And at the

rate that they're looking to get paid, I just don't see an opportunity to save money by getting rid of Ryan Tannehill while bringing one of those guys in and I'm not paying more. So I don't see Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr as realistic options for the Titans. Now there are some other free agent names like Lamar Jackson, Daniel Jones, Geno Smith. But I think the expectation is all of those guys return to their team. And even if they don't return to their team, the odds are that they're going to get the franchise tag and then be traded if any of those guys get moved. So they're never really going to hit the free agent market.

Maybe Geno Smith, but Geno Smith is going to be looking for the first real big payday of his career. And again, I'm not willing to pay over $30 million for any of these veteran quarterbacks that aren't an obvious upgrade over Ryan Tannehill. I'd rather just ride out the Ryan Tannehill contract for one year, $36 million on the cap, play with Tannehill, try to be better around Tannehill than I would to get rid of Tannehill and go for some guy who's basically the same level of talent and end up

having to pay more money for it. Total. I just wouldn't do that. So with the absence of Daniel Jones, Lamar Jackson, Geno Smith, who I don't see getting to market, looking at these two names that are at the top of the options that you would have talent-wise and money-wise, it's going to be a

no for me, dog, on both of those veterans rather than Derek Carr or Jimmy G for $30-some million. I'd rather just stick with Tannehill for the year. But we're going to move forward, look at some of the mid-tier options. And again, I say mid, and I know what you guys are going to think, but I'm talking about the price range, people, okay? We're going to talk about a guy like Carson Wentz or Baker Mayfield, and there are some other names that make a lot of sense as well. Before we get into that though,

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and you know that they can have a treat that tastes delicious while also being healthy. Make sure to check out Built Bars today. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's free agency preview. We're talking quarterbacks on today's show. We just looked at some veteran options like Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo that just simply don't make sense for me. I'd rather just stick it out with Ryan Tannehill for a year

and finish out his contract there. But now we do got to look at some options that may entice the Titans from a certain perspective. I know when you guys hear some of the names, you're going to be like, whoa, why would the Titans be interested there? But when you think about the trade-off of the money and what you could do with Ryan Tannehill,

some of them could make a little bit of sense before we get into it. Do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, this is day one of our free agency preview. I'm going to go position by position through the offense and defense, breaking down all the top-tier options, the mid-tier options,

some of the bargain options that the Titans will have in free agency. Also, the combine is coming up throughout this week. I'm going to be breaking that down for you guys as soon as we get any kind of interesting results make sure to check out the All Titans website for Sports Illustrated where I'll be writing about the Combine about these free agent

possibilities for the Titans some good stuff over there as well my guy Andrew Tomlinson from the All Titans site will be live at the Combine to give you real-time updates as well. So with that in mind, we're going to move into some of these mid-tier options. And basically, you'd have to set it up this way for any of these guys to make any sense.

This is what you have to do. So Ryan Tannehill would need to be either released, saving $18 million, $27 million, depending on if it's right now, right away, released, or if they do it as a post-June 1st. Either way, you'd be releasing Ryan Tannehill to save money there. Or the better option, the better option for the Titans would be trading Ryan Tannehill for a couple of mid-round draft picks. A second and a fourth, a third and a future third, something in those longs, something in that realm. A couple of mid-round draft picks.

You trade Ryan Tannehill, you get the draft picks back, you get off of his money, and then you look at some mid-tier options. Number one, Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz was actually released by the Washington Commanders on Monday. And his time as having any, any thought about being a franchise quarterback is over. That's it. It's over. over. That's it. It's over. So now Carson Wentz is going to be in the $10 million range, maybe $15 at most, but either way, he is going to be making backup level money. One of the big things about the quarterback market that I saw someone talking about today, but it's absolutely true, is there is

no middle class with quarterbacks. Either you're Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum and Garner Minshew and Sam Darnold making $5 to $10 million, or you're Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott making $35 to $45 million, and then you have Pat Mahomes and what's going to be Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen and these guys making around $50 million. So there is no middle ground for quarterbacks anymore. A guy like Jameis Winston is even playing for around $15 million. So when there is no middle ground to go with, you have to ask yourself, would you be better off with draft picks,

cap savings, and a guy like Carson Wentz or Garner Minshew or Taylor Heineke overpaying $36 million with no extra picks and no cap savings to Ryan Tannehill. What would you rather do there?

That is a gambit that unfortunately the Titans have to figure out. They could bring in a guy like Baker Mayfield for $6, $7 million, $5 million. They could bring in a guy like Sam Darnold for $6, $5 million. They could bring in a guy, like I said, like Taylor Heineke, who may be getting a little bit more than that around 10 to 15 million. Same with Carson Wentz. Could be about 10 to 15 million dollars. Would you rather bring

in one of those guys knowing that you traded Ryan Tannehill, save the cap space, get more draft picks, and downgrade at quarterback, but maybe with a better roster around you? Would you rather do that? Or would you rather pay Ryan Tannehill $36 million?

I think that the Titans, when faced with that question, would still go with Ryan Tannehill for $36 million as a better quarterback. But, I don't think it would be insane if Rand Carthon would say maybe, hey,

Carson Wentz is only $10 million, $8 million. I'm going to release Ryan Tannehill or trade Ryan Tannehill, bring in Carson Wentz, and try to make the roster better. If they fail, hey, then the Titans are in position to draft a quarterback next year. If the roster is so much better that even though you downgrade a quarterback, the team is still better, well, that's a win for Rand Carthon and Mike Vrabel. So I still think, and probably my opinion as well would be, I would stick with Ryan Tannehill given that option, but grabbing a Carson Wentz or a Taylor Heineke or a Baker Mayfield for around $10 million or less,

trading Ryan Tannehill for a couple of picks, and saving $18 million on Tannehill, I could see why they would at least have the conversation, but once again, Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz, Sam Darnold, Taylor Heineke, any of these mid-tier options, I would rather just roll with Tannehill for a season if that's the choice that I have to make. But with that in mind, we do need to look

at probably the most realistic options that we're going to discuss today because the Titans may only be in the market for a backup quarterback. So we're going to look at some backup quarterbacks that can make a ton of sense for the Titans, including Josh Dobbs. So we'll discuss Dobbs here in just a moment.

Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for tuning in. Make sure that you throw a thumbs up on the video. I don't ask for anything. The show will always be free. So in return, if you could just press a button, I would greatly appreciate it. Again, we got a lot of content coming up for you throughout the all season. Free agency preview will continue throughout the week. Combine

recap, getting you ready for the draft with prospect breakdowns. That'll be coming in March into April as well. So make sure that you guys get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Titans fans, we are going to cap off today's show talking about some of the bargain bin options in free agency at quarterback for the Titans.

We talked about the top tier with Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo. And that's a no for me, dog. I'm not paying more for one of those guys than I'm paying Ryan Tannehill already. We talked about some of the mid-tier options where the Titans could, you know, make a decision.

Would you rather have the savings from Tannehill? Maybe some extra draft picks and go with a guy like Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz, Taylor Heineke, Sam Darnold, and maybe take a mid-tier option there? Or would you rather stick with Ryan Tannehill and just pay him? That's a decision they'll have to make. But we're going to look at some backup, some true backup options for the Titans.

Now, all those guys we just talked about a second ago, Mayfield, Wentz, Darnold, Heineke, they could be backup options as well, but some guys who truly fit that mold and look, whether it's Malik Willis, whether it's Logan Woodside, the Titans have not had very good backup quarterback play

the last few years. Now, I will give Josh Dobbs credit. Josh Dobbs is the best backup quarterback the Titans have had since 2018, I believe, with Blaine Gabbert. So the Titans have chosen over the last few years to go cheap at backup quarterback and just save money there. And if Tannehill gets hurt, we're screwed.

And luckily Tannehill didn't get hurt, but he did last year. And that has to make the Titans face the reality of we may need to upgrade our backup quarterback spot. Now, of course, a lot of this depends on Malik Willis. Malik Willis could come into Titans activities this offseason a totally different player. Maybe not starting level,

but he could have improved so much that he's clearly a smart backup option for the Titans. But we also have to accept a reality where Malik Willis isn't even good enough to be a backup still. Okay? And if the Titans are serious about winning, which whether I want them to be or not is a different story, but if the Titans are seriously about winning

and Mike Vrabel wants to win as many games as possible and Ray Carthon wants to win as many games as possible and Ray Carthon wants to win as many games as possible, then they have to seriously consider getting one of the better backups in the NFL because Tannehill is older, he's more banged up now, and the odds are that he's going to get hurt again. So, would the Titans pay $5 million to Jacoby Brissett,

who's been one of the better backups in the NFL for a few years? Would they pay $5 or $6 million to Case Keenum? I personally say no. There's no reason to pay that much for a backup quarterback, especially, especially if you're paying Ryan Tannehill $36 million. But, but if the Titans for some reason trade away

Ryan Tannehill and draft a rookie quarterback, then you absolutely should bring in a Brissette, a Keenum, a Garner Minshew, something like that, just in case the rookie doesn't play well enough, just in case you draft Anthony Richardson and the rookie isn't ready, you draft Hennon Hooker and the rookie isn't ready to play right

away. You guys want to know something crazy about Hennon Hooker, though? Hennon Hooker is only like six months younger than Sam Darnold. That is wild to me, doing my research. Look, Sam Darnold is like 25 and a half, 25 and three-fourths years old. Hendon Hooker is just turning 25. That is wild. So yeah, if the Titans get rid of Tannehill

and bring in a young quarterback in the draft, then maybe you get a Brissette. Maybe you get a Keenum. Maybe you get a Minshew. That would make some sense there in that scenario. But what I think is the most likely and most realistic, as I've continued to say, is Ryan Tannehill will be back for the Titans. And what the Titans need to do is have a legit backup quarterback

for as cheap as they could possibly go while staying with a good backup. And I think two names that make sense in that scenario is Nick Mullins and Josh Dobbs. So Mullins is somebody that I've liked for quite some time as a backup option for the Titans. I like C.J. Beathard too, and he just got an extension from Jacksonville. So I like Nick Mullins. He's won five games in his career.

He had some good moments for Minnesota as their backup last year. 21 of 25, over 400 yards, had a touchdown and an interception. Over 100 passer rating. I think Nick Mullins could make a lot of sense for around $2 million to back up Ryan Tannehill if the Titans are serious about winning

games. Now, Josh Dobbs is also an option. He'll probably be around the same price, a little over $1 million, $2 million. Look, I think Josh Dobbs is probably who needs to be brought back. The reality is here, Malik Willis may not even be ready to be a backup. We don't know. So in the meantime, bring back Dobbs, let him be Tannehill's backup, let him compete with Malik Willis. If Malik Willis hasn't proved enough, then Malik Willis should win the job. If for some reason the Titans bring back Dobbs and then do find a way to trade Tannehill and move up in the draft for an Anthony Richardson, a Will Levis, then you keep Dobbs around

and you let him compete to be the starter or at least push the rookie. So I think at the end of the day, we go over all the options, but I think Tannehill is back. I think Dobbs should be brought back. And if not, and if you do get rid of Tannehill in a trade,

then I'm in favor of bringing in a guy like Baker Mayfield or like Carson Wentz. Because I think that the Titans should probably tank the season at that point. So let that guy compete with Malik. If that's the route that they want to go and if they're trading Tannehill away and not planning to move up for a quarterback in the draft, then tank. Then tank at that point. Because that's probably what you're going to get anyways. At that point, bringing in a quarterback like

that. But that is the options that the Titans have. We went through a bunch of different names on the free agent market that could make sense depending on what path the Titans take. I'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow. We're going to be looking at either the latest news for the Titans, going through'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow. We're going to be looking at either the latest news for the Titans, going through another position in free agency or two.

A lot of content coming your way this week on the Locked on Titans podcast. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on tight.