Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers Decision, Trey Lance Trade Price & Titans Sign Defensive Tackle

Episode Date: January 23, 2023

The Tennessee Titans may make a big change at QB this offseason. Two of the names most discussed are Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. If the Titans had the choice between the two, Tyler thinks it is a simple choice to make. Also, the Titans could logically trade for 49ers QB Trey Lance after Brock Purdy led San Francisco to the NFC Championship game. If so, what would it cost and should the Titans pay the price? Finally, the Titans made a signing on Monday on defense that may be more important than most signings around this time of year!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!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt 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.PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONUltimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.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

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, if the Titans have a choice between signing Tom Brady or trading for Aaron Rodgers this offseason, I think the decision is pretty easy to make. Also, we got reports on what it would cost to get Trey Lance out of San Francisco. I'll tell you what that reported price is and whether the Titans should pay it. Also, the Titans made a signing on Monday. I'll tell you who they signed

and why this one is a little bit more important than you're used to seeing at this time of year. All of that and more 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. Titans fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook,

the official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash locked on today to get started. I want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round on all platforms and always free. Make sure you subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream, including the Locked on Titans YouTube channel.

Smash that notification bell so you know when all the content goes live. And throw a thumbs up on the video right now. I appreciate the support. Hey, the podcast is free. All that I ask in return is the press of a button. But diving in here, if the Titans had the choice between trading for Aaron Rodgers or signing Tom Brady, I think it is obvious that they should sign Tom Brady. Number one, let's start with this. The price to get the player. Okay. One, if you go trade for Aaron Rogers,

you're going to have to trade something. You're going to have to give up draft capital. You're going to have to give up a second round pick. Heck, if things get really scary, maybe even a first round pick for Aaron Rogers. So already you're going to pay a lot more than if you sign Tom Brady as a free agent because you're going to have to give up draft capital. Not only that, but look at Aaron Rodgers cap situation. Now I broke this down on an episode yesterday, but I'm going to throw up a little bit of a visual for you guys as well to go over exactly what his cap situation looks like here. And look, it's not the worst ever, if it'll ever pull up for me here.

It's not the worst. But here's the problem that you're going to run into, okay? You can see here, if you're looking at the screen that post six one, so that's June 1st, the Packers really aren't going to be able to do anything before then, because if they were to release him, that's a hundred million dollars in dead cap. If they were to trade them, that's $40 million in dead cap. So you start to look at the post-June 1st trade window here that I've got up on the screen. And the dead cap for Green Bay,

if they trade Rodgers after June 1st, is $15 million. That is much more stomachable, if that's a word, than the $40 million if you release him before June 1st or the $100 million if you release him before June 1st, the $40 million if you trade him before June 1st or the $100 million if you release him before June 1st, the $40 million if you trade him before June 1st. So a post 6-1 trade for Rodgers would only cost the Packers $15 million in dead cap this year. That is something that they can stomach. On the flip side, Rodgers' salary is only $1.1 million. Now he's got a $14.5 million player option. So you'd be looking at about $16 million

for Aaron Rodgers in 2023 if they traded for him. You add that to the $18 million in dead cap for Tannehill. Now you're talking about $34 million for the quarterback position. That would be cheaper than what the Titans would do if they just stuck it out with Tannehill this year and you get a better player with Aaron Rodgers. But you had to trade for him. So you gave up draft capital. But hey, that's all something that you can realistically do and realistically see happening. But look forward. Look at 2024. Look at 2025. Okay, 2024, he's only got a cap hit of $2.2 million, but the salary plus a $30 million player option on that year as well. You're looking at Aaron Rodgers costing you $45 million on the cap at 42 years old in 2025. Look, guys.

years old in 2025. Look guys, in 2023, this single year, because of what we just discussed, I could see it. But you are putting yourself in a scary position and giving Aaron Rodgers a ton of power into his early 40s

with the financial situation with those $30 million player options. Again, would I consider it? You consider it. But in this scenario, if it's Aaron Rodgers in a trade, or just signing Tom Brady outright, and look, Tom Brady isn't going to cost you $30 million. I mean, he's going to take a cheaper deal than what he's worth because of his age. And he's going to want the Titans to be able to build as good of a team around him as possible.

And look, you can say all you want behind this offensive line. You don't know what the offensive line is going to look like this year. You don't know. So don't get in my comments. Don't come at me on Twitter and say, Tom Brady would look terrible behind this offensive line. What's the offensive line? You got a crystal ball?

You got a magic eight ball? You got a time machine? Share it with the group then. If you brought some, share it with the class. You don't know what the 2023 Titans offensive line is going to look like. You don't know if it's going to be good. You don't know if it's going to be bad. You have no clue.

So don't use that as a reason to not want a better quarterback. Okay. So to me, if I had to choose between giving Aaron Rodgers total control over the organization for multiple years and give up draft picks to do it or sign Tom Brady outright, even at 46 years old, it's an easy pick for me. And which guy loves football more? Which guy is better for his teammates? Which guy would attract other NFL players to come play with him? It's not Aaron Rodgers. Tom Brady might bring Gronk along. Tom Brady might bring some wide receivers along. Tom Brady might bring an offensive lineman or two along that want to play with Tom Brady in a good city like Nashville with no state taxes. So I'm not saying either of these routes are the routes that the Titans will go, but if you had to ask me, would I

rather trade for Aaron Rodgers or sign Tom Brady? It's not even close. Sign Tom Brady, the best quarterback of all time, who is going to be cheaper, not cost you draft picks, has a better relationship with his teammates, and loves football more. It's a simple, simple answer for me. And if you bring in Brady and you don't sacrifice draft picks to get better at quarterback,

now you might even feel like, hey, maybe we should go trade for Trey Lance and let him sit behind Tom Brady for a season. And speaking of Lance, that's what we're going to talk about next because we got a report over the weekend talking about what it would actually cost to get Trey Lance out of San Francisco. So we're going to talk about the price and whether the Titans should pay that price in just a moment. Before we get into that, I do want to let you know that today's episode of Locked on Titans is presented by FanDuel. FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of the NFL.

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Titans fans, we just talked about a decision that the Titans may, may have to make this offseason between signing Tom Brady, trading for Aaron Rodgers. I think it's very obvious that you would rather sign Tom Brady than trade for Aaron Rodgers, considering the totality of what you would have to pay. But now I want to talk about another option that the Titans have, and it may be more palatable for some of you guys

who want younger blood at quarterback, and it's a trade for Trey Lance. And we got some reports over the weekend from Michael Silver about the situation in San Francisco. Before we get into that, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, free Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year round. Make sure you stay locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast. But looking at this report, one, we got a report that the debate is over.

The battle is over. Brock Purdy has won, and Brock Purdy has beaten out Trey Lance for the starting quarterback position in San Francisco, regardless of how the season ends. Now that Brock Purdy has gotten San Francisco to the conference championship in his rookie season, it would be very difficult for San Francisco to go back to Trey Lance at this point in time.

And then, of course, we have the Trey Lance Instagram post, Carthon connection to San Francisco. So all of that's happening. All the while, Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that, like I said, the battle's over. San Francisco's going to roll with Brock Purdy, and they'll probably be looking to trade Trey Lance this offseason. Well, here's what Mike Silver said about what San Francisco may be able to get in a trade.

Quote, even if the 49ers are receptive to potential trade offers for Lance after the season, they won't come close to recouping that haul. The haul being what they paid to go up to get Trey Lance. Back into the quote. what they paid to go up to get. Trey Lance, back into the quote. Based on my conversations with several teams' general managers and other high-ranking front office executives,

Lance would be unlikely to net much more than a third-round selection. Though it's possible, there's a team out there motivated to give more. End quote. Well, one, I don't think there's going to be a team out there motivated to give more than a third round pick for Trey Lance. One, you know that San Francisco is in a tough spot. You know they want to roll with Brock Purdy. Okay. You know that. So I'm not going to, I'm not going to pay up or give more

when they're the ones who need to salvage the asset. Okay? Obviously, they don't need Trey Lance. They found what they thought they were going to get in Trey Lance in Brock Purdy. It's a sunk cost at this point to say, hey, we're not going to give them up unless we get close to the value that we paid.

That's not how it's going to work for them. It's just simply not. It can't. It can't work that way because everybody else knows that they have Brock Purdy now too. So, to me, even a third round pick, I'm out on that, guys.

I'm not paying a third round pick. Now, I do want to say, an article written by my co-worker over at the Titans Wire USA Today. Sean Coleman says, Oh, okay. Sorry, Sean Calderon. I'm flipping through a lot of stuff.

But he says what would make sense to him is a conditional second round pick that if Trey Lance plays enough, it's a second. If he doesn't, it's a third. I like the idea. I really do like the idea, but for me, I'm going lower than that. I'm going to give up a fourth round pick with the condition that if Trey Lance plays enough, it can turn into a third round pick. And that's the best that I would even offer. Even at that time, I'd be a little skeptical. Guys, I went over it. He's been injured. He just had a major injury. Do the Titans need to get more guys who have been

injured? I don't think so. When he was out there for the first couple of weeks, he underperformed. It didn't look that great. Brock Purdy looks better as a rookie, even in a short sample size. Okay? So he was outplayed and beat out by Purdy, and if San Francisco wants to move on from Trey Lance to Brock Purdy, doesn't that tell you something? Right there in itself? I mean, that's not a good sign.

So, is he even going to be healthy to get a full offseason and all that? That's something that remains to be seen. Now, maybe Carthon likes him. And if Carthon has faith in him, then maybe I'll have a little bit more faith in him as well. But, right

now, injured, underperformed when he played, beat out by Mr. Irrelevant, a rookie, have to trade a mid-round draft pick that the Titans desperately need to restock this roster? Look, if the Titans decide to keep Ryan Tannehill for a year

and they want to develop Trey Lance, a couple of dominoes are going to fall there. One, say bye to Malik Willis because they're using a mid-round pick on another quarterback that they'd like to look at and develop who's young. But I still think that would be absolutely insane because if you trade for Trey Lance and you keep him on the bench for a year behind Tannehill, now you only get one year of his rookie deal before you have to make

a contract decision on him. Again, guys, there's so much talk right now in the Titans fan base about Trey Lance. And like I said last week, you know, we got the price here, third round pick. So now we can talk a little bit more realistically about what it would cost. But for me, I still think that's too much. If you guys want me to bend,

and you want me to say, what would it take for you to be okay with trading for Trey Lance? I'll say a fifth round pick. And San Francisco is not going to give them up for that. They're not. So I just don't see it. I don't think it makes a lot of sense for the Titans to do it. I understand like the general logic of young quarterback on a rookie contract.

Take, you know, take a swing at it. But considering everything we've seen, I just don't think that's the, if the Titans really want a young quarterback that bad and they're willing to give up draft assets for it, then just trade up in the draft and go get the one that you like. And I'm going to continue to come back to that

for anybody who was on the young quarterback train. Then get one who hasn't already been injured. Get one that hasn't already been beaten out by Mr. Irrelevant. Get one that isn't already two years into his rookie scale contract. It's simple math to me. I'm not trading for Trey Lance unless it's much cheaper than a third round pick. But with that in mind, the Titans did make a signing on Monday.

And usually signings around this time of year aren't really needle movers. But this one may be important depending on some other dominoes that fall later in the all season. So we're going to get into that in just a moment. Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. As for your second listen, check out the Locked On NFL podcast. You get all your Titans news here with me every day. Get all your national NFL news with the Locked On NFL podcast. I actually host the Thursday show of Locked On NFL.

So subscribing over there would also be showing me some support as well. I would greatly appreciate it. Check out the Locked On NFL podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Titans fans, we have talked about the decision the Titans may have to make between trading for Rodgers or signing Tom Brady. Maybe they won't get to make those decisions, but either way, it's definitely something that's in the realm of possibility based on the reports we got this weekend. Also talked about Trey Lance.

More Trey Lance conversation throughout the weekend for Titans fans. Even getting a report on what he would cost, I still don't think it would be a good move. But the Titans made a signing. We're going to get into that in just a moment. Before we do, again, I want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. But the signing for the Titans is the first move that we've seen Rand Carthon make since taking over as general manager,

and it was signing defensive lineman Tyler Shelvin to a futures contract. What is a futures contract? It's a training camp invite. That's what it is. It's not guaranteed. It's not any kind of multi-year deal. It's nothing like that. It is simply an invite to training camp for a guy who is on practice squads and didn't have a roster home at the end of the year. That simple. It's the 14th guy that the Titans have signed to a futures contract, basically a training camp invite.

Other guys that you'll know, like Shaheen Carter, Mason Kinsey, Thomas Odukoye, Sam Okwainonu, Jaden Peavy, Reggie Roberson, Andrew Rubsitch, Caleb Shudick, all these guys who were on the Titans practice squad for most of the year, they get re-signed on futures contracts or reserve contracts, whatever you want to call it.

But essentially, it is just a training camp invite. That's it. But as for Tyler Shelvin, the player, came out of LSU 2021 draft, fourth round pick by the Bengals. He didn't make the roster. He's been on their practice squad. So he's a guy who hasn't really lived up to the billing that he had coming out of college as a draft pick.

But he is 6'3", 346 pounds. And that's nose tackle territory. And let's talk about Titans nose tackle. Isaiah Mack. That's a throwback for you guys. Chattanooga right there. T. Air Tart. Naquan Jones. The Titans have had really good success with, quite frankly, undrafted

free agent or practice squad level players and developing them as nose tackles within their defense. So, it makes sense that they would go get a guy like Tyler Shelvin, who was drafted, did have some pedigree coming out of LSU, and has some skills that if the Titans develop correctly, could fall in line with all those other names I just mentioned. Speaking of all those other names I just mentioned, here's something else to keep on your radar.

Tiertard is a restricted free agent. There is a chance that the Titans aren't able to get him back. Now, the way restricted free agency can work in the NFL is you can place a draft pick tender on a player, second round, first round, third round tender. And what happens then is if someone signs him, they got to pay you that draft pick. But if someone doesn't,

then basically you put yourself in a certain money level where you got to give that guy a certain amount of money. So it's a risk reward for the Titans depending on the round tender that they place on T.A.R.E. Tartt. I think that the Titans find a way

to bring back Tartt. I think that the Titans find a way to bring back Tartt, but if you're skeptical of that, you're pessimistic about that happening, Tyler Shelvin could be looked at as insurance for T.A.R.E. Tartt. As a player who, hey, if Tartt goes, we're going to start developing this guy who we liked

out of college, who we think maybe could develop into a rotational nose tackle. If you're optimistic that the Titans bring Tart back and you don't really see this as related in any way, which I think also has some merit to it, then it's just the Titans taking a chance on an interior defensive lineman. Naquan Jones didn't have a very good year. He had a pretty good rookie year. Didn't follow that up with his best football in year two. So maybe the Titans are just looking to go away from him and get more of a bigger bodied guy in there who can be more of your traditional nose tackle. The Titans

love to play nickel defense where they only have six guys in the box rather than seven. And you can do that if you're great at run stopping in nickel. Well, having such a good nose tackle like Tartt has allowed the Titans to be good at stopping the run in nickel, which is a cheat code in the NFL, quite frankly, playing against RPO, playing against pass-heavy offenses. So it would make sense that the Titans would prioritize making sure that they have a run stuffing nose tackle they can count on so they can continue to play nickel against base formation. So I get the signing, whether it means

something for Tartt or it doesn't, either way, I think it's pretty solid to get Shelvin in on a futures contract and just a training camp invite. Get him in, see what you got for him, see how he compares to Naquan Jones and some of the other guys that you've had in that role before and then go with T.R. Tartt from there. But we're going to discuss who the Titans should bring back, who they should let walk and all of that on

tomorrow's show. Going to go through all the in-house free agents barring, of course, any major Tennessee Titans news like hiring an offensive coordinator or anything like that. So we're going to dive into all that tomorrow. Other than that, that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this is Locked on Titans. you