Tyrann Mathieu criticizes Titans for Tannehill deal, but ignores the stats

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu went on Twitter to criticize the Tennessee Titans for signing a long-term deal with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, while only putting the franchise tag on running back Derrick Henry.

Just a day after signing breakout quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a four year, $118 million contract (including $62 million in guaranteed money), the Tennessee Titans put the franchise tag on star work-horse running back Derrick Henry. The franchise tag for a running back this year is worth about $12.36 million.

After this was announced, Tyrann Mathieu came out on Twitter saying Henry “don’t get no love” for making Tannehill’s job “75% lighter.”

It is true that Henry had an incredible campaign in 2019 and a long-term, big-money contract would be well deserved. But something that Mathieu (and many critics who might agree with him) ignores is the actual stats.

For one, it’s commonly agreed upon that the most important position in all of sports in the quarterback, so having a competent and competitive quarterback that can rally a team is one of the most important things an NFL team can have, and it can make or break a talented squad.

When Tannehill took over as starter for Marcus Mariota in Week 7 of 2019, he took the 2-4 team with a deflated offensive and led them on to a 7-3 record to finish the season that ended in an appearance in the AFC Championship game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champs.

Even though Henry deserves a lot of the credit for Tennessee’s success, when you look at his 2019 stats you can see a change starting in week 7, the same week Tannehill took over.

In Weeks 1-6, Henry eclipsed 100 yards in a game only once, and more than four yards per carry in only two games. From Week 7 on, Henry never did worse than 4.09 yards per carry and was over five yards per carry five times, over six yards per carry three times, and over eight yards per carry twice. He also had more than 100 yards rushing in five games, and reached 211 in Week 17.

He performed similarly in the playoffs, rushing for 377 total yards against the Patriots and Ravens in the first two rounds before being slowed down by the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Henry and the Titans still have until July 15th to agree on a long-term deal or they can sign a deal after the 2020 season. Henry was definitely a valuable player to the Titans, but to say that he was the only reason they did as well as they did is to discount the value that Ryan Tannehill brings to the team.