Report: Titans are shopping Derrick Henry

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 6, 2023, 11:29 AM EST
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Titans running back Derrick Henry could be on the way out in Tennessee.

The Titans have been shopping Henry, according to Michael Silver of BallySports.com.

Henry is due a base salary of $10.5 million this season, none of which is guaranteed. If the Titans were to trade him, they’d save $6.3 million on their salary cap in 2023.

The 29-year-old Henry was the NFL’s offensive player of the year in 2020. He has led the NFL in rushing yards twice and led the NFL in carries three times, including last season. But his yards per carry average dropped a full yard from 5.4 in 2020 to 4.4 in 2022.

The Titans earned the AFC No. 1 seed in 2021, but last year they acted more like a rebuilding team by trading wide receiver A.J. Brown, and this year they’re continuing to shed expensive players. Henry might be the next to go.

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58 responses to “Report: Titans are shopping Derrick Henry”

  1. Smart move – dump him while he has some value even though he has no more upside left in him.

  3. If this is true then the Titans are going full rebuild, Tannehill is gone and theyll be drafting Caleb Williams this time next year.

  7. Short shelf life. All their money was tied up into Henry, Tannehill and Bud Dupree. Crazy.

  9. Full tank rebuild mode has entered the chat. Tannehill is good as gone and they will be bottom dwellers for the foreseeable future.

  12. So the Titans are keeping Tannehill but shopping an RB who had 1500 rushing yards and 13 TDs? What’s in the water in Tennessee?

  13. Your talking about a HOF’er you lost a step with little tread left on the tire.

  14. Expect Tannehill to end up with his former OC Arthur Smith in Atlanta. He can mentor Desmond Ridder and likely play better than Mariota did last season.

  15. Vrabel wasn’t on board with the AJ Brown trade. Is he aware the Titans are going full rebuild?

  16. Wow. Didn’t think they were going full rebuild.

    I hope Henry lands on a win-now team, a la McCaffrey & SF. He’s carried a team and deserves a good shot at a ring, and a say in where he goes.

  17. I think that’s a good all around decision. Definitely helps Henry too. A team that’s a piece away from a Super Bowl could definitely use him. Or what if the Chiefs got him for example? Would remind me of when the Patriots got Clock Killin’ Cory Dillon in 2004 after winning the SB in 2003 and they went back to back.

  20. So if it is rebuild time in Nashville do they just roll with Malik Willis or grab a stop gap and keep Willis on the bench another year?

  21. I remember a couple things Bill Walsh said about running a team. One of them was that it is better to get rid of a guy a year too soon than a year too late. That fits here. Buffalo,please do not do it unless it takes a 5th round pick.

  22. Vrabel seems like a good coach. Wondering how long he will survive (or stay for) this phase in Tennessee.

  23. He has 2 good years left if he avoids major injury. He’d be perfect for a team in WinNow mode, like in Buffalo or Dallas (shipping out the other 2 RBs)

  24. Contender with limited running game could get a couple years out of him. Cincy?

  25. I wonder what he wants, money or a ring. KC, Cincy, Buffalo, could all benefit from a power back like that in the playoffs since they all play outdoors in cold weather, or the Chargers if he wants to play with a great QB In warm weather and live life on a high contract vacation.

  26. While i agree his best days are behind him people on here are acting like he`s already done.
    His average dropped a yard per carry as much because they traded AJ Brown without having a replacement and they didn`t replace Tannehill so every team was loading the box to stop Henry with no other weapons on the field and he STILL averaged 4.4 a carry. Put him with a Patrick Mahomes,Josh Allen or Joe Burrow and i bet he has 2-3 real productive years left.
    He may not a Adrian Peterson like freak and play until 35-36 but he is not your average 29-30 year old RB either.

  27. Mikehunt69 says:
    March 6, 2023 at 11:42 am
    So the Titans are keeping Tannehill but shopping an RB who had 1500 rushing yards and 13 TDs? What’s in the water in Tennessee?

    141Rate This
    —————

    Sell high. That’s what in the water for an obvious rebuild.

  28. Smart. They know Lawrence and the Jaguars will own that division for the next decade. No need to overpay a declining running back.

  29. Not saying the Bengals should take a shot at him, but let’s just talk this out. Joe Mixon at $12M or Derrick Henry at $10M. Just puts Mixon’s lack of production and overpaid contract in perspective.

  30. Smart, possibly for whoever acquires him too.. Another elite season out of Henry isn’t going to be enough to keep Tennessee from being sub .500 but he has value to a contender. Buffalo, for example would be terrifying. Especially come playoff time if he’s only been carrying the ball 15 times a game and not the 30 times that he needed to for the Titans to win.

  31. Titans would be smart to draft Ohio State’s Miyan Williams in the 2024 NFL draft.

  32. As a fan of good football, i.e., run the damn ball, I’m a huge fan of the King. Wondering if Andy Reid would seriously consider loading his offense up even more? Go Derrick Henry, Roll Tide, Go Chiefs!!!

  33. I think the Titans are going to be disappointed at the market for Henry. My guess is they’ll need to trade a draft pick or two along with Henry and accept back lower draft pick compensation.

  34. I can’t see Vrabel lasting much longer himself. Shopping Henry would have been smarter last year, better now than next year. But if it was against Vrabel’s wishes to trade Brown, it speaks to another issue with their offense. You can’t expect to funnel everything through one skill position player that isn’t a QB and expect success. But to his credit, coach made it work splendidly for a while. See what he can do with a more balanced offense to go with that defense.

  35. The aj brown trade is still hurting this team. I guarantee you if aj was still there and they had another good yr in Tennessee, there’s no way the titans would be shutting this window yet.

  36. Sounds like a good move for both parties,
    Henry is past his best and started to pick up injuries, more importantly he can’t carry the Titans offence any longer, however still probably good for 2 years on a winning team, less reliant on a RB

  39. Dallas, Seattle, LA Chargers Detroit, KC, New Orleans and Buffalo should all at least talk to Tennessee about a trade. Even if his production doesn’t rise back to his best years, he still takes pressure of his QB.

  40. Carroll Prescott says:
    March 6, 2023 at 11:31 am
    Smart move – dump him while he has some value even though he has no more upside left in him.
    —————————————-
    No more upside = 1,500 yards rushing/13 TDs… 400 yards receiving in 2022.????

  41. With no threat as a passing team Henry still average 4.4yds per tote. Father Time always wins out, eventually. As long as he’s willing to take a pay cut I’d say half the league would be looking at him.

  42. Does Baltimore have the cap space? They are the only team in that division without a reliable RB1. Maybe Buffalo?

  43. Not sure about trading him as opposed to resigning him to an extension with signing bonus/void years? He is a beast and in the top tier for all RBs. Why does “full rebuild mode” always seems to mean getting rid of expensive players, regardless of talent? I’m betting he does well not just this year but for a couple more. The team that gets him gets someone other teams have to plan against.

  45. Hopefully Miami will trade for him. If not please do not go to Buffalo or NE

  47. if Henry is gone, then we will see what quality of coach Vrabel is…losing Brown and probably Tannerhill and now Henry?? good luck next few years…

  48. Four teams could win the SB with Derrick Henry but it will be pricey: Buffalo, Philly, KC, Cincy.

  50. I wonder what kind of return the Titan’s are looking for? If the King has two good years left in him, what is a fair price? Second round pick? Third round pick? I would love to see the Commanders jump in if its a 3rd rounder.

  51. That’s a lot of money committed to a player who lost a full yard per carry from 2022 to 2023, that trend isn’t likely to reverse but is likely to continue. Henry has fumes left in his tank, he is a great competitor but the cliff for RBs is very steep and very fast, just ask Zeke (coming off a 3.8 yards per carry season).

    The RB position is already devalued in the NFL and most teams do not carry a bell weather RB but go RB by committee, and it is doubtful that Henry still has what it takes to be a bell weather back. So $10.5MM is just to much and I don’t know what the team thinks it will get in return, maybe a late 4th or a early 5th round pick

  52. Not sure he would be particularly effective in Buffalo because the Oline has been below average – but I sure don’t want to see him in KC red, Cinci orange, Philly green, or SF gold…!

  53. Thank you for the multiple fantasy league titles! Now go extend your career and become a 3rd down short yardage back.

  54. The last of an era. I will miss big backs in the NFL and still think there is room for them.I mean some guys have had long careers because after they fell off, they were elite in pass pro. He could extend the career another 3 years on a good team in short yardage more so then a bell cow role.

  55. He would be a perfect fit in Atlanta. HC Smith has a run first offense and they have a high draft pick to pick up some defense help which they need badly!!! Plenty of cap space and we don’t know if Riddle is going to pan out. If Atlanta could somehow get Jimmy G they could make some noise in the NFC South.

  56. Henry had 1500 yards with a horrible line last year. He is still a great back but the Titans may be restarting cuz their o line is horrible and they have issues all over the team. Idk if they are letting Tannehill go but I don’t want Henry to waste his last few years of great seasons.

  57. Some people are acting like Henry’s got nothing left in the tank. Yes, his 4.4 yards/carry avg is a full yard lower than his best in 2020 but the O-line was shot, Tannehill was injured and AJ was gone. Every team focused on Henry and only Henry. Somehow he still managed to run for 1538 yards, 2nd best in the league. He also led the league in 100 yard games with 9.
    Put Henry in a balanced offense with a decent O-line and he’ll be a force again. He takes exceptional care of himself and has the heart of a lion. True class act.

  58. Chiefs could trade for him and swap running backs by shipping CEH to the Titans, plus a 6th rounder. KC has the cap space now, Tennessee gets some cap relief & a dat 3 pick along with a former #1 running back. Maybe they can get something out of Clyde.

    Chiefs would get another home AFCCG & SB trip with that monster in their backfield catching flares and wheel routes from Mahomes.

    Henry / Pacheco / McKinnon – would be brutal.

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