Ryan Tannehill contract means Titans can tag Derrick Henry

With Ryan Tannehill signing a long-term deal in Tennessee, the Titans can now move to place the franchise tag on running back Derrick Henry.

The dominoes are falling.

One Sunday, the Tennessee Titans locked up Ryan Tannehill to a four-year contract worth $118 million, including $91 million guaranteed.

Tannehill, who played tremendous football to help lead Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game, would have been a prime candidate for the franchise tag if a deal was not struck.

The NFL’s new CBA reduces tag usage back from the expected two (franchise and transition) to one per team, so the Titans can now breathe easier and place the franchise tag on running back Derrick Henry.

This wouldn’t have been an option if a deal with Tannehill could not be reached since the Titans were placing a higher priority on securing their short-term future at the quarterback position.

Henry became the unquestioned focal point of the Titans’ offense down the stretch, bowling over the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC playoffs.

The Tannehill news is no doubt a disappointing development for Henry, who was hoping to cash in off a big postseason performance, but the tag will ensure he gets paid a top-five salary in 2020.

One other long-term ripple effect to consider with Henry is whether or not he will consider a holdout in training camp if he doesn’t get a long-term deal done with the Titans. Henry received a combined 386 carries between the regular season and playoffs, and that kind of workload could wear on him, reducing the long-term value Henry could make on a future contract.

That scenario may not come to pass, however, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that the Titans are planning to bring back Henry at a “big number” and cleared some cap space to do so by releasing Dion Lewis.

Tennessee clearly recognizes the importance of maintaining continuity on offense and keeping their star happy, so it shouldn’t be much longer before Henry has a fresh long-term deal of his own.