
The way Ryan Tannehill has played since he took over for Marcus Mariota is one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season, and the Tennessee Titans clearly do not view it as a fluke.
The Titans believe Tannehill will be their quarterback going forward and have privately discussed signing him to a long-term contract extension, ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports.
The Titans are internally discussing a new contract for Ryan Tannehill after the season per source. Not franchise tag, a new deal to be the future starting QB of Tennessee. #titans
— Dianna (@diannaESPN) December 8, 2019
Tannehill, who was acquired this past offseason by the Titans as Mariota insurance, has almost singlehandedly gotten the team back in the playoff race. He is 4-1 since Tennessee turned to him and has a passer rating of 113.9 with 12 touchdowns compared to four interceptions. His average of 9.1 yards per completion leads all NFL quarterbacks.
As long as he doesn’t completely fall apart down the stretch, there’s no reason why Tannehill wouldn’t be the Titans’ starting quarterback in 2020. They have the option of using the franchise tag on him, but it sounds like they would rather avoid that.
Tannehill’s career was labeled a bust after he struggled with the Miami Dolphins last year, and apparently that is how head coach Adam Gase wanted people to view it. Now that he is healthy and appears to be in the right system, Tannehill has more or less revived his career.