Jon Robinson: Titans, Derrick Henry continue to discuss long-term contract

Jon Robinson had a call with the media yesterday, and one of the biggest takeaways was that he has been in pretty consistent contact with Derrick Henry’s agent as the two sides try to work out a long-term deal. This is good news because it shows that the two sides are willing to get together for something that works for both. Here were Robinson’s comments (via Jim Wyatt’s article):

“We had a phone call (with Derrick’s agent) last week, had a phone call the week before that,” Robinson said. “We’re just continuing to work through things. The conversations have been positive between me and the reps there and we’re just trying to find some common ground.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Derrick is an important part of what we do, and we’re just trying to find the spot where we all need to be and where we all want to be.”

There has been so much talk about paying Henry or not paying Henry. It has been my contention all along that there is a deal that can be worked out here that makes sense. Think about it this way, if the Titans don’t give Henry a long-term deal they will most likely franchise him again in 2021. That means they will have paid him close to $21 million over two years.

The Titans could give him a 3-year deal that guarantees him somewhere between $25-28 million. That gives Henry the security of a long-term deal without Robinson having to worry about what the deal will do to the team’s salary cap at the end.

As Robinson said, King Henry is an important part of what this team does. The offense was so successful last year based on his run threat and the efficiency of Ryan Tannehill. They paid Tannehill to be here for at least the next 3 years, why would they hurt the chances of him being successful by not having Henry?