Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Matthew Stafford Trade Package, Latest Titans Draft Reports & NFL Combine Ahead

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

The Tennessee Titans are in the market for a quarterback and this week Matthew Stafford became more available...or did he? Tyler goes over what a path to Stafford would look like even if he isn't a fan of the move. We got an updated report over the weekend on the Titans stance on the number one pick, but it could tell us a lot about how the Titans feel about the quarterbacks in this year's class. Finally, another report suggests the Titans have made no change in their stance from a month ago and if that is truly the case behind closed doors, it is concerning as the best thing to evaluate has been available the entire offseason. Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitans TicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=asc Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Follow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Subscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuelRight now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.   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)  

The Tennessee Titans path to Matthew Stafford got a lot easier this weekend. I'll tell you what a trade could look like 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 to 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 edition of the Locked On Titans podcast

is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. On today's show, we're gonna take a look at some recent reports regarding what the Tennessee Titans number one pick might be We got some conflicting reports. We got some interesting things to go over But first we got to talk about the big news that happened over the weekend with Matthew Stafford before I dive in Do you want to thank you for making the locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day?

Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free, you're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Speaking of every day, shout out to my every dayers out there. Turn it in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys.

And if you are an everydayer, you need to be one because there's breaking news. All the time, whether it's Titans or other things that affect the Titans, we've got the NFL combine coming this week, free agency, the draft. It's all right around the corner. And there's no place where you can get as informed about the Titans options as you will hear on locked on Titans. Again, I am your host Tyler Roland. Been a Tennessee Titans fanatic for 25 years. I've covered the team for six seasons now here on the number one, Tennessee

Titans podcast in the world, locked on Titans, cover the team for Sports Illustrated USA Today, and I'm now officially an award winning podcast hosts after winning the So Bros Network Nashville Sports Creator Award of the year. So again, make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. But with that being said, Matthew Stafford over the weekend, we got a report that the Rams have given Matthew Stafford's agent the opportunity to go out and seek a trade or seek a new home, seek a new contract. Matthew Stafford's agent is allowed to go out and talk to other teams. Obviously other teams would include the Tennessee Titans.

Now I have said, and I will continue to say, make no mistake about it. Some people say I waffle because I go over all of the scenarios, but I'm making it as clear as day. I do not want the Tennessee Titans to trade for a 37 year old, always injured, expensive Matthew Stafford after winning three games last year. I do

not want them to do that. But what I want and what I think isn't necessarily always what happened. So the Tennessee Titans could very well go out there and trade for Matthew Stafford. What would it look like? Why would they do that? Well, number one, Matthew Stafford is a top 10 quarterback. I can say all the negatives and I think the negatives here outweigh the positives. But one of the positives is Matthew Stafford would without question be some of the best quarterback play the Titans have had since Ryan Tainahill's 2019 and

2020 seasons. Like and in the pantheon of Tennessee Titans quarterback play, Matthew Stafford, even at his age, would likely deliver a top five season. Like, he's just that good of a player. You have the connection with Brian Callahan from their time together in Detroit. Like, I get it. I truly do. I get why Matthew Stafford would be an improvement for the team outside of the money.

So I could see why they would tell themselves, hey, you know, we're not as far away as it looked last year. We do this, we do this, we get a much better quarterback. We can win games. I don't think that they would be right, but I could see how they would do that. So if they trade for Matthew Stafford,

who was out negotiating with other teams right now, what would that look like? Well, the rumor initially was that the Los Angeles Rams wanted a first round pick. Well, guess what? You ain't getting the number one overall pick for Matthew Stafford. You ain't getting the number one overall pick in any trade. Period. Not happening. So let that go.

Right? Period. Not happening. So let that go. Now talk about pick number 35. Titan second round pick. I'm not willing to do that either. I'm not willing to do that either. The Titans cannot do that.

They can't give up a like, even if they make this move, they can't do that. So what I think it would look like is we've seen in the past, you know, your Matt Ryan's stuff like that. I think it would be picked one Oh one plus because the Titans don't have a third round pick, if the Titans had a third round pick this year at the top of the third round, I think that would get it done. What pick would it be? 66, 67, 68, 69, somewhere in there.

Nice. Like if the Titans had a high third round pick, that would be the pick that they trade for Stafford, but they gave that pick away for a luxurious need again, why I don't want the Titans to make any trades for older injured veterans, you know, but whatever. So without having a third round pick, I think the Tennessee Titans would have to give two picks. I think they'd have to give one Oh one this year because they can't give up

35 or one that's just illogical for the Titans to do that. Okay. So you give up pick one Oh one and you give up a third round pick next year. And then you would also have to give Matthew Stafford a new contract. So I think it would be 101 and a third round pick next year. Maybe they do a condition where if Matthew Stafford plays enough next year, so the Titans would have him for two seasons, it would become a second round pick. It would be, you know, a fourth and a second ultimately for Matthew Stafford. But anyway, I'm going to call it 101 and a 2026 third round pick.

And then because the cap went up, Matthew Stafford's making $37 million this year and that's not good enough for him. He's mad. His wife is on social media flaming the organization saying that they're ready for a new adventure because he's making $37 million this year. So if he's mad about $37 million, what do you think he wants? And now the NFL salary cap is going to go up $22 million at minimum, maybe $27 million. 26. So whatever he wanted before, he's going to want more now.

So I think that Matthew Stafford is going to get three years, $150 to $160 million a year, with two of those years guaranteed. So probably $100 million dollars as a 37, 38 year old guy. That's what he's looking for right now. He wants a three-year extension for 45 to 55 million dollars a year and he wants more guaranteed money. Two years of it. So if the Titans do trade for Matthew Stafford, they will have to give up 101 and a day to pick next year and they'll have to pay Matthew Stafford three years, $150 million. So if you want to do that, then sure. But I don't because that and I think I might be being conservative on the trade.

They might have to give up pick number 35 to get Matthew Stafford because they don't have a third round pick. The Rams may just say no. They may have to give them pick number 35 to get Stafford and then pay him three years 150 million. If you want Matthew Stafford, that is what you are signing up for. That is what you are pushing on the fan base. That is what you are telling your friends.

You are okay with you want 37 year old old Matt Stafford, three years, $150 million at minimum and given up 35 or given up one Oh one and a day to pick next year. So that's what a path to Matthew Stafford would look like for the Tennessee Titans. Now I'm going to say this. This reminds me of the Lamar Jackson situation. All the Rams want is for another team to negotiate Matthew Stafford's press. Hey, you don't like the contract we're offering you then go out and find a

better one, then go out and find a better one. And when he does it and he comes back to the Rams and he says, Oh, I guess that wasn't that bad of an offer I'll take it and stay here. Like I always wanted to anyway We're all gonna be like what did we talk about Matthew Stafford getting traded so much? It was never happening. Just like we say with Lamar Jackson He was never leaving other teams knew it the Ravens just wanted someone else to negotiate the deal So they didn't look like jerks and that's what the Rams are doing right now

So the path is clear, but I don't think it's more likely in my opinion. With that being said, let's talk about these recent draft reports. Before we do do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook with FanDuel. You can place live bets throughout the game. So even if you miss opening tip off and you want to bet on a fourth quarter comeback, you can stay in the action. If you're looking for a bigger payout, you can even combine your live bets

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Let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. So we talked about the trade path forward for Matthew Stafford. Now I want to talk about some recent reports we got on the Titans number one overall pick from over the weekend. We got some updated information from a draft expert. We also got a, I guess, a refresh of a report from a local Titans beat guy. I'll go over all of that with you guys. What I think it all means.

Uh, we'll start with the Todd McShay stuff. So Todd McShay, I think, uh, formerly with ESPN, I think he works for the ringer now, but he put out his first mock draft of the season and look you can go through any draft guru and And look at their stupid picks, you know, like Mel Piper said he would quit if Jimmy Claussen wasn't good and Daniel Jeremiah in his first top 50 board in January of Patrick Mahomes his year Didn't have Patrick Mahomes in it. Like you could go to any of these top guys and point out one wrong thing.

They say, Oh, he sucks. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He got one thing wrong from one year. He's garbage. But the reality is, is how we Roseman is considered the best general manager in the NFL right now. And he took Jaylen rager in the first round over Justin Jefferson. The San Francisco 49ers have been a model organization for years and years. They traded up to draft Trey Lance.

You know what I mean? So like even the experts, even the very best guys on earth at the draft mess up colossally like terrible disaster mess ups. It's just limiting how much you mess up. Everyone's going to mess up in the draft. Even the NFL general managers that are the best in the entire world. They're going to get, I mean, the chiefs took Clyde Edwards, a layer in the first round.

took Clyde Edwards, a layer in the first round. Like that's Brett beach, the second best or best general manager in the NFL to Clyde Edwards, the layer in the first round. So the point I'm trying to make here is that just because some of these draft people aren't 100% accurate, doesn't mean that they're idiots who can be totally disregarded. Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kuyper, Todd McShay, like these people know what they're talking about. It doesn't mean that they're always going to be right. It's an imperfect science.

It's like baseball. You get three hits out of 10 opportunities. You're a Hall of Famer. You know, it's that's what the draft is like. Okay. You're not going to get it 100% right. So with that being said, Todd McSha said this in his mock draft podcast. Quote the wish list from my understanding is to trade out of the number one pick in

a perfect world. If this was the last, if this was last year, you take a quarterback. It's just not that year. In my opinion, information I'm getting is they'd rather trade out of that spot. Doing some, they're doing some pretty realistic self-assessment saying we're not a QB away. I want quantity over quality in this draft. That's loaded at edge, loaded on the D line,

loaded at running back. That's what McShea had to say. So according to McShea, the Tennessee Titans still prefer to trade out of the number one pick because they're doing realistic self-assessment and don't feel like the roster is good enough to take a quarterback right now. That, and that is what I have been saying all season. Again, I'm open to taking a quarterback and I'm sure, and according to the next report that we talk about,

the Titans are still open to quarterback as well, which I think is concerning based on anyways, we'll get to that. But the point is, if you put a rookie quarterback on this team, they're going to fail because the rest of the roster is not good enough. It's not. Okay.

So then you're rolling through quarterbacks again. It's Jake locker all over again. Like at some point you just got to build the roster up everywhere else so that no matter who you get at quarterback, they have a chance to succeed. And I know that some people say, hey, there's no way that you can know that Cam Ward isn't Jayden Daniels. There's no way to know that these quarterbacks aren't as good as last year's quarterback. There's no way to know that.

And listen, you may be right. But again, the resounding Consensus among people who do this for a living professionally and again, even the best in the world mess up But the consensus among people who do this professionally is that though the this year's quarterbacks are just not seen on the same level as last Year and you can argue about that and say that your opinion is different But that seems to be the consensus around the league. Now there will be teams who buck that and take quarterback, but they're going to be teams that feel like they have to have the quarterback right now, or they're getting fired.

And I don't think that the Tennessee Titans front office is going to feel that way. They're not going to feel pressured to go find the quarterback in a draft that isn't considered great at quarterback. So everything that Todd McShea is saying is logical. Now, what you could say is, Hey, he's just saying that because it's logical. Any moron on the street could give you that packaged argument that I just gave you and say, you know, that's what I'm hearing. Cause that's what everyone is hearing.

Who doesn't want the quarterbacks? You know what I mean? Like, so you could say that it's nonsense and it's not that report, but again, so many different places we are hearing the Tennessee Titans would prefer to trade out. And in my opinion, if the Titans, a day before the combine is willing to start the weekend before the combine is ready to start. If the Tennessee Titans are still at this time, willing to trade out, then that means they don't believe in the quarterbacks.

If at this stage in the process, you're still willing to trade out and not take a quarterback, then you don't believe in the quarterbacks. And then also we heard from the Titans earlier this all season with Brinker and Borganzi. We want 12 top 100 picks in the next three years. Draft picks are your number one currency. Like all we've heard from these guys is draft picks, draft picks, draft picks. We want to draft and develop.

We want to build this thing. We need to have patience. We can't be as aggressive as we were last year, but all of these things that we're hearing All of it has so much synergy that it would be insane to just disregard all of it and People will say well, of course, it's lying season The Titans have the number one pick there's nothing to lie about. There's no one to deceive. There's no one to trick There's no one to deceive. There's no one to trick.

And the only thing, the only thing that the Titans could use for deception or persuasion is to say that they want the quarterbacks to make somebody say, no, we want that quarterback. We'll pay you to let them go. But other teams aren't stupid. If the Titans liked the quarterback enough, they wouldn't trade out in the first place. So clearly just by their willingness to trade out, they don't like the quarterback. So I'm not gonna be fooled by that. And furthermore, if we're hearing that the Tennessee Titans, if the reports are that the Tennessee Titans would prefer to trade out, then that's the opposite

of the influence that could actually help them. If the Titans were prefer to trade out, then that's the opposite of the influence that could actually help them. If the Titans were trying to help themselves, they would put out that they do like the quarterbacks because that helps them find a trade. So having all the reports be that the Titans want to trade out that is counterproductive to using their influence. They don't need to use their influence. If they like the quarterbacks, they take them at one. If they don't, then they don't.

They can't fool anybody. They can't trick anybody. They're not in a position to do that. So it would be better for the Titans if they didn't need quarterback at all to create a bidding war since everyone knows that they're going to trade down, which is what they're actually doing with these reports is letting everyone know that they don't believe in the quarterbacks and that they want to trade down. And you have a real opportunity to come up and get your quarterback. And well, if these other teams want quarterbacks, maybe the Titans should be scared. It's the jets and the Raiders and the Giants.

Are they beacons of organizational stability and great decisions? If the Jets come up, the Titans should be worried. Why it's the Jets? Why are we, why do we think the Jets are making the right decision? If you go back and you look throughout the history of the NFL, people who trade up to get quarterback, typically crash and burn. Of course, there are examples of success, but typically more often than not, it's not great. So be the team that wins that mistake, not loses it.

And that's what the Titans are trying to be. So if you still prefer a trade out the day before the NFL combine starts, you do not believe in the quarterbacks. And that takes us to our next report. Titans fans. Let's continue today's edition of the locked on Titans podcast. We talked about the path to Matthew Stafford that got clearer this weekend, but still unlikely. In my opinion, we talked about Todd McShay's report on the Tennessee Titans and the number one overall pick worth noting McShay mocked the Titans with Abdul Carter Number one saying that they couldn't get a trade and he thinks that they would still take Abdul Carter number one Even if they don't get a trade, so that's a different conversation of it in and of itself

but there was another report that came locally for the Titans over the weekend or However, you want to want to phrase it we'll get into it. I'm not gonna lie I you know, I got a little feisty as I always do because I want clarity on some of these things. So let's get into this, this other report outside of talking. Cause I think it tells us a lot too. And it has me a tad bit concerned if it's true. So Eastern freeze from A to Z sports.

Look me and East to go back and forth at each other all the time. But Eastern's a good guy. He's one of the best guys covering the team in my opinion, you know, regardless of our little bickering and back and forth that we do on social media. I think Easton's a good guy. I think he does a good job. Okay. So let me say that first and foremost, but about a month ago and a couple of

weeks ago, Easton kind of soft reported is what I call it. He's not doing like the report breaking, but he's kind of just like saying it Um, and that leads to some confusion in my opinion. Are you reporting it? Is it just your opinion? It's hard to tell the difference and that's where I look for clarity So I talked to easton over the weekend we went back and forth a little bit and I wanted clarity on the things that he said a month ago and it was Trade back is in fact, the Tennessee Titans preference right now,

if the price is right, that was from two weeks ago on February the 8th, and then Easton reiterated in my comment section, so this isn't misconstrued, quote, "'As I reported a month ago, the Titans current lien leading up to the combine has been and remains trading down if the right offer comes across their desk. But they remain open minded about all of their options. Ward, Sanders, Carter, Hunter trade at number one overall.

And the next month of work will be what solidifies their choice. Lots of big checkpoints in the process coming up. So I, so they haven't made up their minds. Okay. So number one, the Titans prefer a trade down, but they could take war. They could take Sanders. They could take Carter. They could take Hunter.

They could trade. I mean, that's just their options. Like that's not a report. That's just every possible path that they could take forward. So yeah, duh, you know what I mean? But what's interesting is the Titans current lean leading up to the combine has been and remains trading down. And then at the end though, he says the next month or so of work will be what solidifies their choice. Lots of big checkpoints in the process coming up.

I disagree with that. I do not think there are a lot of big checkpoints in the process coming up. There's the combine. That's it. And here's where I push back. The idea that the Titans off the game film. So right now, remember this. Chad Brinker said that February was going to be quote unquote,

no daylight for the Titan scouting department. No daylight February. No daylight. That's what they said in multiple interviews. They referenced the phrase no daylight February. No daylight. That's what they said in multiple interviews. They referenced the phrase no daylight February. So Easton reported a month ago that their leanest trade down, but all options are on the table. And then a month later, after no daylight February, where they really grind the scouting, they feel exactly the same.

Nothing's changed. They still prefer a trade down. They have no clarity on the quarterback situation based on the film. They they're still completely undecided after no daylight February. They spent an entire month locked in darkness watching film developing their board setting up their thoughts going over scouting reports reports, talking to area, regional scouting, national scouting department, all that. They did that for a whole month and they still have no idea what they're

doing compared to a month ago. I don't buy it. I simply don't buy it. And I didn't buy it a month ago either. When everybody said, there's no way that the Titans know what they want to do yet. There's no way the Titans know how they, the tape is what matters folks. All the meetings are doing the meetings are confirmation. It's about creating versus confirming.

The tape is how you create your evaluation. If you have Chaudhuri Sanders ranked as the 20th best player in the draft, based on the tape, there is nothing he should say during a meeting or nothing he can say during a meeting that makes him the number one pick then. If you have Cam Ward as the 10th best player in the draft and Abdul Carter is number one in the draft, there is nothing that Cam Ward can say during a meeting that could change him from 10 to 1. And if they are, then the Titans are idiots. That is not what you should... being swayed and being sold by slick talking interviews

and ignoring what you saw on tape, what matters is the football. The Titans know exactly how they feel about Chaudhuri Sanders and Cam Ward based on the tape. So if they've watched all of the tape on Chaudhuri Sanders and Cam Ward, and they still prefer to trade down, meaning they don't believe either of the quarterbacks or the number one pick, then there should be nothing that those quarterbacks can say in a meeting that could change their mind on that.

To me, that does not all calculate. There is not a logical path from, Hey, I've watched all of their tape. And here's the thing too. People act like the Titans just started watching the tape on these guys a couple months ago. The Titans area scouts have been watching Chideur Sanders for years. The Titans area scouts have been watching Cam Ward for years. These scouting people know about these guys in high school. A lot of these college scouts know who the five star recruits are, the

big time recruits in college or who's going to this school. They have been following these guys since they were freshmen because they're scouting these teams. You think if there is a five-star freshman that's balling out at Oregon that these scouts don't see that when they're there scouting the older players. They know who these guys are. A lot of these scouts start building a profile on these players when they're underclassmen and aren't even eligible to be drafted. So Mike Borgans, not only

do the Titans have a full opinion figured out on these players based on the tape right now, Mike Borgans knew how he felt about Cam Ward and Shadr Sanders on tape before he ever even got hired. They're scouting way down the board at this point. Shadr Sanders and Ken Ward's evaluation happened during the season for most of these people. So I'm sorry if a day before the combine happens Easton is going to reaffirm the Titans still prefer to trade down and nothing from the past month of draft scouting has changed how they felt, then I'm sorry the tape is not good enough for the quarterbacks to be number one and nothing that happens at the combine in the meeting rooms should change their mind on that because as Chad Brinker said a long time ago and I have the video saved on my phone, the end, it starts with the tape and it ends

with the tape. That's what he said. It starts with the tape and it ends with the tape. So if it starts with the tape and it ends with the tape, you can't take a quarterback number one overall based on him wooing you in a meeting when you didn't have him rated as a guy who could go number one overall in the first place. Now if the Tennessee Titans have both quarterbacks rated high enough to take them number one, or if they have both quarterbacks rated very similarly, then

the meeting can give one guy an edge. Hey, if both these guys are similar talent levels, but this guy did way better in the meeting and on the board. Then this guy gets the advantage. Yes. But if you don't think that the quarterbacks are worth taking number one overall and a day before the combine process starts, you still lean towards trading out, then you don't believe in the quarterbacks because you've watched all their tape, nothing they can do in a meeting should be able to change

your mind based on how you feel off the actual football. Not a meeting. So I'm not going to say that the meetings aren't important and I'm not going to say that the combine isn't important because the data is about historical comparison and the meetings to me are about making sure on guys that you're uncertain about off the field. Why did you get in trouble? Like Tavondre Sweat is a player who the meetings mattered to a ton. Tavondre Sweat is a perfect example of there were questions off the field, his commitment, the DUI, the Titans go down, they meet with him personally, they meet with him on a 30 visit. Those meetings are critical for players who you're uncertain on their character evaluation.

But I'm sorry there. If the Titans don't believe in these quarterbacks right now, and they didn't believe in them a month ago before no daylight, February, a meeting at the combine or a 30 visit should not change their mind. That would be bad process. So with that being said, that's going to do it for me today, folks. We got some news that Shider Sanders isn't thrown at the combine. Hopefully we hear about Cam Ward in the next 24 hours and I'll be back with you guys tomorrow to give you my thoughts on that and what I expect to see and what I hope to hear about the quarterbacks at the combine again tomorrow's show.

But with that being said, that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowan, and this was Locked on Titans.