Titans Saving Cap Space

Free agency creates a frenzy through the fan base every year.  The idea of "insta-fixing" a gaping hole on your team with a proven player is enough to get the glands salivating of even the non-rabid fans.  Throw in being a team on the uptick and having a gazillion dollars to spend under the cap and your left with a fan base that can't comprehend not spending the money.

After all, the new rule is that any given team has to spend 89% of their cap space as a floor.  So you've got to spend it anyways right?  Well not exactly.  You don't have to spend it every year, but the average has to be there at the end of any 4 year period.  Currently Spotrac has the Titans at the mid $50m for available cap space.  In the hands of a savvy GM, that could go a long way.

The Titans have been in the mix for most of the bigger name free agents this year, and have already landed one that they coveted in Logan Ryan.  Cooks got away from them because Jon Robinson didn't want to lose the draft capital required to get him, not because he didn't want to pay.

Alshon Jeffrey got a $14m one year prove it deal.  Did you want the Titans to throw more than that at him?

Bouye got $26m guaranteed for the Jags in a 5 year deal totalling $67.5 m.  That's a big contract for someone without the longest track record.

Most importantly left tackles Russell Okung, Terron Armstead, and Cordy Glenn each received a 4 yr/ $53M deal, a 5yr/$65M deal, and a 5 yr/$60M deal respectively.

Oh, and guess what?  Even mediocre quarterbacks are making mid $20's a year.

So who here wants to resign/extend Taylor Lewan and Marcus Mariota sometime soon?

The Titans are finally growing their own and getting good value out of rookie contracts.  They've also got two more first round rookies to sign coming up and some players they will need to resign/extend soon that are actually the core of what they've been building.

I'm all for filling in holes and upgrading where possible.  I'm also in agreement with drawing a line on the value of a particular player and sticking with it.  No one was doing backflips over Ben Jones and Rishard Matthews last year, but one could argue they ended up meaning more to this team and its transformation than any one superstar at a position could have.

Once this team is built and molded the way it is supposed to be, leaving yourself cap room and multiple draft picks can keep the team in a position to maneuver.  It can allow the flexibility to go get the one missing piece for a super bowl run.  Right now building for the future a little slower is probably the most prudent path.

Now that all that has been said, can we please throw a little extra at Dont'a Hightower and get him here already?