Although Denico Autry is in his age-33 season and functions as something of a sidekick on a Titans front seven anchored by Jeffrey Simmons And Harold Landry, commercial interest arose. With Autry in a contract year, teams are monitoring him as a futures purchase.
The 10th-year defensive lineman has become a hot name ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline, notes Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post. If the Titans were willing to deal with the experienced passer, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds that it would be an interesting deal.
During a stretch in which the Titans missed a few passers – Bud Duprée, Jadeveon Clowney, Vic Beasley, Cameron wakes up – general director ousted since Jon Robinson did well to land Autry, who has been a central part of Tennessee’s defense despite moving into his mid-30s. Autry signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract before his age-31 season, with the contract arriving the same week in which the Titans overpaid Dupree. But Autry has helped make up for that failure, totaling 17 sacks and 37 quarterback hits between the 2021 and ’22 seasons. So far this year, the versatile D-lineman has four sacks and nine QB hits.
Autry is linked to a base salary of $6.75 million, giving other teams a price tag of just over $3 million to recoup in the event of a trade after Week 8. Former UDFA Raiders who A late bloomer, Autry did his best in the AFC South. A mid-career stint with the Colts boosted his market in 2021, and he hasn’t slowed down with the Titans. Earning another mid-level contract in 2024 will likely be on the table for Autry, but the issue now will be whether the Titans like an offer enough to move on sooner.
Tennessee traded Kevin Byard in Philadelphia on Monday, a move that will likely have teams investigating whether the 2-4 club would be willing to deal out more pieces. Ryan TannehillThe planned absence of Week 8 will result in the strange configuration of Will Levis And Malik Willis each game – perhaps alternating series, for example Mike Vrabel – against the Falcons. This may be intentional to highlight Willis, with Fowler adding that the second-year QB is more likely to be dealt than Tannehill. The latter’s injury makes it fairly certain that he will remain in Tennessee for the remainder of the season, but with the 35-year-old passer having an expiring contract, the Titans will soon have some big questions to answer at the position. Given Willis’ early career form, the Titans won’t get back anything close to the No. 86 pick they invested in last year.
Derrick Henri joins Tannehill and Autry on an expiring deal. The Titans picked up Tannehill and Henry during the 2020 offseason, signing and then extending Henry in July of that year. The dominant running back appeared vaguely in trade rumors before the draft, but a report last week indicated the team was more likely to stick with the potential Hall of Famer. But Fowler sees Henry as a player the Titans would likely consider trading, adding that some around the league thought the team was ready to do so this offseason.
The two-time floor champion received a raise for the 2022 season, but he remains committed to the four-year, $50 million extension he signed three summers ago. Henry, 29, plays on a salary of $10.5 million. With over $5.5 million due between Weeks 9 and 18, the Titans could run into a problem in an effort to shed one of their all-time greats. League executives believe it will be such a hindrance that Tennessee would likely need to collect a salary to move on, Fowler adds, and it’s far from certain the team would be willing to do so in order to move on. to cut ties with a three-time Pro Bowler.
The Titans have a third-round pick Tyjae Spears in place once Henry leaves, and while teams aren’t in the habit of re-signing workhorses before age 30, it’s not a lock the sides aren’t discussing of a third contract before free agency. For now, though, Henry is playing a contract year and profiles as a fringe candidate for a team in transition.