Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST HAVE PATIENCE in Rebuild, Titans Salary Cap Update & Cap-Saving Options

Starting point is 00:00:00 I've seen a lot of bad ideas out there, but trading for Matthew Stafford would be the Tennessee Titans worst nightmare. I'll explain why 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 Titans podcast. I am your host Tyler Roland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Starting point is 00:00:37 Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets. If your first $5 bet wins on today's show, I'm going to tell you why the Titans trading for Matt Stafford would be their worst nightmare and go over some other weird moves that people are pushing for the Titans. Also, we saw an explosion in salary cap space in the NFL on Wednesday. I'm going to explain to you why this really doesn't help the Titans all that much and tell you how much cap space the Tennessee Titans actually have. Before we dive into all of that, do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every

Starting point is 00:01:15 day. Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my every dayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. It's a busy time of year. There's breaking news all the time. There's tons of roster moves to make.

Starting point is 00:01:36 So if you aren't an every dayer, you need to be one. But with that being said, look, I don't try to be rude, but I see things and ideas that people have for what the Tennessee Titans should do that I just have a hard time understanding how that's the conclusion that these people come up with. Like it just makes no sense to me. Now there are certain things that I don't agree with, but make sense like drafting a quarterback, number one overall.

Starting point is 00:02:10 I don't agree that the Titans should draft a quarterback number one overall, but it's reasonable. It's a logical argument to make. If you want the Titans to take a quarterback overall, number one overall, I'm not gonna tell you you're insane. But if you want the Tennessee Titans to trade for Matthew Stafford, I am going to tell you that you are insane and that is not only a dream scenario, it is the worst nightmare for the Tennessee Titans.

Starting point is 00:02:38 Number one is Matthew Stafford, a good player. Yes, but he's 37 years old. He's had injury issues. He's been hot and cold throughout the last couple of years. If the Rams, who are a Super Bowl winning organization that won a playoff game last year, if they don't want Matthew Stafford anymore, then why would we believe that Matthew Stafford would be a smart move for the Tennessee Titans

Starting point is 00:03:11 when he's 37 years old, you'd have to give him a multi-year contract extension, which is the reason that the Rams want to trade him anyways. And he's had injury problems, injuries, age, contract. And on top of all of that, on top of the injuries, on top of the age, on top of the contract that you'd have to give them, on top of the fact that the Titans are 3 and 14, and you're making a win-now trade for a quarterback who's at the end of his career when you are the worst team in the NFL outside of all of that. You have to give up draft picks for him. The Rams won a first round pick. You're not going to give

Starting point is 00:03:54 number one overall, but would you give up pick number 35 to give Matthew Stafford at 37 years old a $50 million per year contract extension? How in the world can we call that a dream scenario for a three and four rebuilding Tennessee Titans team? I would take a quarterback at number one overall a million times before I would trade draft capital to give a multi-year extension to 37-year-old Matthew Stafford. Again, is Matthew Stafford a good player? Yes, I think that Matthew Stafford is a good player. It would be a massive upgrade for the Titans at quarterback.

Starting point is 00:04:34 But they're three and 14. You can massively upgrade quarterback. And what about right tackle? What about right guard? What about wide receiver? What about the pass rush? What about linebacker? What are we doing? And the same thing, see if people push Sam Darnold to the Titans, you're going to give $50 million. The cap has gone up. Sam Darnold might get $50 to $55 million a year because the cap went up. You're going to get 50 to $55 million a per year to Sam Donald, a guy who's

Starting point is 00:05:08 been bad more often than he's been good throughout his career, who's leaving the best environment he's ever had in Minnesota, who choked at the end of the season when the pressure was actually on. You're going to go get that guy and give him a big time contract. When your roster is in the state that it's in. These are win now moves for your roster is in the state that it's in. These are win now moves for the worst team in the NFL. It does not make any sense. It is a gross overestimation of where the Tennessee Titans are right now.

Starting point is 00:05:36 And the craziest part about it is some of the people who are pushing these moves for the Titans are people who are in the building and close to the team. How can you have watched the Tennessee Titans up close and personal all year last year and come out of that season saying they need to make a win now trade for Matthew Stafford or make a win now move and sign Sam Darnall? It doesn't make any sense. The only logical explanation here is that the people in the building get close to other people in the building.

Starting point is 00:06:04 When you work next to Brian Callahan every day and you do interviews with him and ask him questions at media and you're out on the field during practice, you don't want Brian Callahan to get fired. And you're worried that if the Titans do the smart thing and show patients. That Brian Callahan won't survive that patients. So in lieu of doing the right thing for the Tennessee Titans, you are pushing the right thing for Brian Callahan. Someone who you like, someone who you get along with.

Starting point is 00:06:33 Someone who is nicer to all of you than Mike Vrabel was. It gives you more access than Mike Vrabel. I don't want Brian Callahan to get fired. They need to get Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford so they can win some football games right away. I don't care about what's better for Brian Callahan in get fired. They need to get Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford so they can win some football games right away. I don't care about what's better for Brian Callahan in the short term. I care about what's best for the Tennessee Titans in the long term and trading for Matthew Stafford or signing Sam Darnold are some of the worst things that the Tennessee

Starting point is 00:06:59 Titans could do this all season. And now we're seeing people say the Titans should cut Harold Landry. Well, let's talk about this Harold Landry situation. Is Harold Landry worth $24 million on the salary cap? No, he is. No doubt about it, he is not. So if the Titans wanted to give him a pay cut like what they did with Kevin Byard before they traded Kevin Byard, that would make sense. We're going to take a little bit money from you now to make you cheaper this year. If you're worth it next year, then you'll get that money next year as a bonus. But we'll probably move on after the year.

Starting point is 00:07:31 Mike Borganzi just said two weeks ago that Harold Landry and Jeffrey Simmons are perfect examples of what they want in the organization. Guys who were drafted here, developed here, paid here. He said it means more to them. They're more loyal to the organization. They care more about the team because it's their team to immediately as one of your first moves of action. One of those guys, after you said that two weeks ago, it does not make any sense at all. And I'm seeing some people say, well, the Titans can go out in free agency and sign a veteran and free agency at the edge and cut Harold Landry.

Starting point is 00:08:08 All right. Well, right now, the Tennessee Titans need two edge rushers. So if you cut Harold Landry and then you sign one, you're still missing one. And who are you going to sign as a veteran free agent that's going to come in and be significantly better than Harold Landry's nine sacks. And people say, oh, the metrics, the advanced data. He's not, I agree with you, but I would rather have a guy who has 10 sacks with bad advanced data than a guy who has zero sacks with a good pass rush win rate. Production still matters.

Starting point is 00:08:42 Box score stuff still matters. Boxcore stuff still matters. So this idea that the Titans are gonna be able to cut Harold Landry and remember Harold Landry has 13 million dollars of dead money. So if you go out and sign an edge rusher like Josh Schwett for 15 million dollars a year or $18 million a year. Well, now you're still paying Harold Landry's 13 million in dead money. Plus the new money that you got to give to the new guy that you're paying to replace Harold Landry. So even though you cut Harold Landry to save 11 million, you're actually paying

Starting point is 00:09:21 more for that edge rusher spot than you would have if you just kept Harold Landry in the first place and you're only getting marginally better with a guy who wins in similar ways, it doesn't make any sense. Look, the Titans need to have patience. They're not going to be able to microwave this with a big edge signing or a big trade for a quarterback or a big signing at quarterback. You're trying to microwave it to keep the people you like safe. And that's not the way to do it. That's not the smart way to do this.

Starting point is 00:09:50 The Titans need to have patients. They need to eat their vegetables. They need to take their medicine and they need to accept that they are not a contending team this year and build this thing the right way. So I'm just seeing some craziness out there for the Titans. And it's hard to wrap my mind around it, but speaking of salary cap and money and all that, how much salary cap space do the Titans have? Now that the salary cap went up, I'm going to tell you and talk some finances.

Starting point is 00:10:21 Before I do, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. When the game tips off, the NBA action is just getting started and there's no better place to get in on it than FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. With FanDuel, you can place live bets throughout the game. So even if you missed the opening tip off and won a bet on a fourth quarter comeback, you could stay in the action. If you're looking for a bigger payout, you can even combine your live bets into a same

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Starting point is 00:11:12 just visit fandle.com to join today. That's fandle.com for your shot at $150 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with Fandle, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. with Fandl, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. I ranted about some of the worst ideas that I have seen for the Tennessee Titans this all season in the last month or so, just some of the most insane ideas that just don't make a lot of sense.

Starting point is 00:11:58 Um, anyways, with that being said, let's get into more of some of the details. So recently, and I'm sure a lot of you guys saw this, the Tennessee Titans and the entire NFL saw the salary cap go up by $22 million. The NFL came out and said, I believe it was a report from ESPN's Dan Graziano that said the salary cap this year is going to be between $277 million and $281.5 million. Last year, it was $255 million. The salary cap, if these projections are correct, which they could be a little bit less or a little bit more, it's a formula that the NFL and the NFLPA used together to determine the

Starting point is 00:12:43 total based on the revenue that the NFL is receiving and the split that they have with the NFLPA that's collectively bargained, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But anyway, in the last two years, the salary cap in the NFL has gone up $53 million. So when I was telling you, hey, you know, Calvin Ridley's deal looks big, but it's not that big Tony Pollard's deal looks a little expensive for a running back, but based on the percentage of the salary cap that he's taking up, it's really not that much, but all that, this is why, because the salary cap is going up exponentially as the TV money for the NFL goes up exponentially. All right.

Starting point is 00:13:23 I'm not saying to, you saying to be reckless with your spending. I'm just saying deals often get signed. And within a calendar year, they're nowhere near as expensive as they seem, because they continue to go up. So the salary cap has gone up about $22 to $25 million. up about 22 to 25 million dollars. And in my opinion, it's actually not a great thing for the Tennessee Titans. So the salary cap going up, you're saying, oh, well, the Titans have more salary cap money now. Well, yes, they do. But when the salary cap goes up,

Starting point is 00:14:03 players, money goes up. Don't think about players in terms of, oh, if they got a hundred million dollar contract for four seasons, that's $25 million a year. There are $25 million a year player. That's expensive. Think about what percentage of the salary cap money they are using. That is the way that you determine player value going forward. What is their average of their salary and what percent of the salary cap is that because you're going to look at a guy and say, Oh, that quarterback got $55 million.

Starting point is 00:14:36 That's too much. But if it's only 20% of the team's salary cap and other quarterbacks are 25 to 30% of the salary cap. That's the way you look at it. This quarterback is the most expensive quarterback in the NFL because he is taking the highest percentage of money of his team's salary cap. This quarterback is the cheapest quarterback in the NFL because he takes the smallest percentage of a team salary cap. That's the way to always understand player value, despite the salary cap rising exponentially every year. What percentage of the cap is this guy getting?

Starting point is 00:15:18 That's how valuable he is. And no matter what the money is, whether the salary cap is a billion or 250 million, the percent will never lie. So that's just general information for you to make you a more educated NFL fan, all right, but for the Tennessee Titans, or again, I think the salary cap going up doesn't help the Titans because the players pay is going to go up. If T Higgins cost $30 million at $255 million,

Starting point is 00:15:48 well T Higgins is probably going to cost $35 or $36 million at $280 million. You see what I mean? The players who are available as free agents right now, they're just going to ask for more money than they would have asked before. So it's not like the Tennessee Titans had to go out and buy dinner and they had $20 in their pocket. And now all of a sudden they have $40 in their pocket and dinner is the same price. No, you got an extra $20 in your pocket, but dinner rose 100% of the cost as well.

Starting point is 00:16:26 So the players price goes up free agent players price goes up. As the salary cap goes up. So it doesn't really help the Titans have more money to spend because the players are now just more expensive. Where it does help is as teams who were under or over the salary cap, like the new Orleans saints, the new Orleans saints are $50 million over the salary cap. Well, now they're only 30 million over the salary cap.

Starting point is 00:16:56 So that's less players that they have to cut and less contracts that they have to restructure to get under the salary cap number. So really it helps the poor teams. It doesn't really help the rich teams. If that makes sense to you. But with that being said, the Tennessee Titans currently have $50 million in cap space with the change. They were at $40 million before they're at $50 million now.

Starting point is 00:17:25 All right. They have $11.5 million of dead cap on their number. They would have $11.5 million more if they didn't have the dead cap. But DeAndre Hopkins, $10 million and then three other people for very cheap, make up $11.5 million in dead cap. The Titans had 14, I don't know if people know this, but you can roll over cap space like old rollover minutes. You can roll over cap space and the Titans actually rolled over $14 million of cap space from last year to this year. So if you go around the NFL and you look at what the Eagles salary cap number is and what the Titans salary

Starting point is 00:18:02 cap number is and what the Rams salary cap number is and what the Ram's salary cap number is. It's actually all going to be different because different teams can, so that the salary cap can be 280 million, but the Titans rolled over 14 million in salary cap space. So their salary cap is actually 294. And that's why the salary cap right now, all of the websites that track this stuff, they had it at the low end of the range that's to be expected. 277 million plus $14 million in rollover cap space. The Titans actually have $291 million in their top 51 plus the 11 million dollars in dead cap, which gives them 241, 242 million dollars spent right now. 290 minus 240, 50 million in cap space. So there you go. Now the Tennessee Titans could always create more cap space and I'm going to tell you how they can do that right now.

Starting point is 00:19:33 Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the locked on Titans podcast. We talked about some of the craziest ideas I've seen all season. We talked about the Titan salary cap situation and how the new salary cap bump really doesn't help the Titans all that much. In reality, it just helps teams that were in a bad spot be in a better spot, which means that free agency is more competitive. Also means that less players are going to be cut because they're salary cap casualties, which means there are less players available in free agency that won't cost you compensatory calculation at all. So it's actually a bad thing more than a good thing for the Titans. But with that being said, the Titans can create a lot more salary cap space.

Starting point is 00:20:13 More than the 50 million that they have. If they want to, before I tell you how they can do it. Thanks again for making locked on NFL or locked on Titans. Just got done doing locked on NFL, but locked on Titans, your first listen, make locked on NFL your second. Listen, I host that show for locked on NFL, but locked on Titans your first listen make locked on NFL your second listen I host that show for locked on as well And um, you know, there's always crazy NFL news. So you want to stay up to date on all that as well? But with that being said

Starting point is 00:20:33 So people that the titans could cut They could cut harold landry. We talked about that earlier 11 million dollars. I don't think that's the right move I think you approach them about a pay cut um That's the right move amani hook you approach them about a pay cut. That's the right move. Imani Hooker, you could cut him and save $9 million. It's the same thing as Harold Landry, in my opinion.

Starting point is 00:20:52 You're going to cut Imani Hooker and then you got to go out and spend money to replace him and how much better is the replacement going to be? Not very good. I thought Imani Hooker was one of the top 10, top 15 best safeties in the NFL last year. You're going to replace him for what? You know what I mean? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Kenneth Murray, a guy I do think the Titans should cut, cut

Starting point is 00:21:12 him, save $7 million. Arden Key, you could cut and save two and a half million dollars again. The Titans have a need on the edge. They need to add to Arden Key and Harold Landry, not subtract and then try to add more. That doesn't make sense. So I wouldn't cut Arden Key and Harold Landry, not subtract and then try to add more. That doesn't make sense. So I wouldn't cut Arden Key for $2.5 million.

Starting point is 00:21:29 That's not enough money to replace him. Uh, Traylon Burks, he saves you $0, but cut him anyway, 4.5 million of dead money. You already have it on the books. Just cut him anyway and move on. Nicholas Petit-Ferrer cut instant $ million dollars. Give me that three million dollars right now Uh, jalen duncan could save you one million Some people may want will levis Cut but that would actually cost the titans an extra 2.2 million over what they're already paying for will levis

Starting point is 00:22:02 So it doesn't really make sense to lose yourself money You'd probably get a late day three draft pick for Will Levis. If you wanted to, depending on what they do at quarterback. Also outside of cap cuts, you can restructure contracts. I don't think the tightness should do a lot of restructures because when you restructure a contract, you're just kicking the can down the road. You're going to have to pay that money eventually. So you're just, instead of paying it right now, this year,

Starting point is 00:22:26 you save some salary cap space, but then you got to pay it next year or you got to pay it the year after, or you got to pay it the, like the bill comes due. You know, that's why I hate when people say the salary cap is fake. No, you just don't understand how the salary cap works. That's why you say it's fake.

Starting point is 00:22:42 Cause it's easier for you to say the salary cap is fake. And then you don't have to care about the salary cap workings because it's all fake and it doesn't matter. But that's not reality either. The salary cap does matter and teams have to get incredibly creative to solve their problems. And often they got to rob Peter to pay Paul in a couple of years. And then like the new Orleans saints who are in cap hell right now, it can't upgrade their team. It can't get better. And can't use free agency to supplement. They have to cut players and restructure deals and continue

Starting point is 00:23:14 to kick the can down the road. So you can restructure contracts, but outside of a guy, maybe like Calvin Ridley, I don't really want the Titans to restructure any contracts. And here is why, because again, all you're doing is kicking the can down the road financially. When you restructure contracts, let's say a player is making $20 million in salary and you want to take $10 million in salary converted to bonus. To save yourself, you know, seven and a half, $8 million this year in salary cap space.

Starting point is 00:23:46 Well, you do that, but that $10 million in salary just moves to next year or moves to the year after. And the Titans, this goes back to my Harold Landry conversation of why the Titans should not cut Harold Landry, eat his 13 million in dead cap, and then go sign a free agent edge rusher. That's going to be 10, $15 million. Cause now you're paying more than you would have paid if you just kept Harold Landry. The Titans need to take their medicine this year. This is the perfect year to not restructure contracts, to not be too aggressive in free agency and make multiple big moves, to not trade for a veteran quarterback and give out a big contract extension.

Starting point is 00:24:27 The Titans need to keep their books, what they are this year. Eat your salary for Harold Andrew. Eat your salary for cushion Barry and Snead and a woozy at like just eat it. Accept it. Take it this year. Don't push the can down the road to next year and the year after when you actually might be competitive and need to supplement your team with free agents. So again, whether it be the cuts, whether it be restructures, the Titans have plenty of avenues to create more cap space money if they

Starting point is 00:25:04 need it. But quite frankly, outside of a couple of these moves, I don't think they need to make a lot of these moves because this year is about, again, eating your veggies, taking your medicine, accepting that you need to be a rebuild because the Titans have tried to fight the medicine. No, I don't want to take it. No, I don't want to take it for two years now. For two years, they tried to avoid the rebuild that was staring them in the face. You tried to thread the needle.

Starting point is 00:25:32 And you failed. So take your medicine, eat your veggies, have some patience. And let's rock. So with that being said, that is going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowan, and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST HAVE PATIENCE in Rebuild, Titans Salary Cap Update & Cap-Saving Options

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