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As expected, Jon Robinson is making moves in an attempt to free up some cap space for the Tennessee Titans this offseason. Now in back to back days, we’ve gotten news that the team has released (or plans to release) two key members of the secondary.
Yesterday it was Malcolm Butler, today it is Kenny Vaccaro. Per Ian Rapoport, the Titans plan on releasing the veteran safety, who was set to have nearly a $7 million cap hit.
The #Titans are expected to release starting S Kenny Vaccaro as a cap casualty, source said. He was due to have a $6.9M cap hit for Tennessee after 83 tackles and 6 TFLs last year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2021
Robinson saved $10 million in cap space by releasing Malcolm Butler on Tuesday. The Titans also declined to use the franchise tag on tight end Jonnu Smith. While the moves create more needs, it will allow Robinson to chase a big ticket pass rusher, which is something he hasn’t been able to find since arriving in Nashville.
Vaccaro spent three seasons with the Titans after starting his career with the Saints. The eight year veteran has ten career interceptions and over 600 tackles.
Amani Hooker, a 2019 fourth round pick, is expected to fill Vaccaro’s role in 2021 and beyond. The team clearly saw enough out of Hooker in 2020 to feel comfortable making this move. Hooker will enter his third season this fall, coming off of a season that saw him come down with four interceptions.