Derrick Henry’s Contract is High But It’s Not Crazy High

Let’s talk about the Derrick Henry deal.

$25.5 million guaranteed over the next two years.  $25.5 guaranteed. Four years, $50 million.  But you can toss out the four years, $50 million.

I’m assuming it is a two-year $25.5 million deal in the Titans’ mind. And that is a contract that is high but it’s not crazy high.

Because Derrick Henry was going to get $10.7 million right now under the franchise tag and my bet is they will be able to take that $25.5 and spread it out over multiple years such that they probably create a little bit more salary cap room for themselves going forward.

Derrick Henry has been phenomenal over the past couple years. Here’s the challenge.  Here are the five highest paid running backs in the NFL from last year.

You tell me if you think they were worth it last season.

David Johnson, he must have the greatest agent of all time.

Todd Gurley. He is basically done.  One year deal with the Rams. He’s finished.

Le’Veon Bell.  Looked like a shell of himself and was outperformed by James Conner when Conner can stay healthy.

Leonard Fournette has been trade bait for a long time. The Jags have been trying to move on from him.

Lamar Miller.  He was one of the top five running backs in the NFL?  That’s crazy.  It’s unbelievable that Lamar Miller and David Johnson were ever on this list.

To me, when you break down this contract, it doesn’t sound like a disaster for the Titans. I will reserve full comment until we see how many years the $25.5 is spread out over.

It will be interesting to see how much gas Derrick Henry has left in the tank.

He’s had an incredible past year and a half.