Derrick Henry deserves his money. It’s really that simple.
When talking about the Tennessee Titans 2019 postseason run to the AFC Championship, it simply doesn’t happen without Henry. They may not have even made the playoffs without him.
Over the past two seasons Henry has become one of the premiere running backs in the NFL. In 2018 he broke 1,000 yards for the first time in his career while ending the season on an absolute tear where he rushed for 585 yards and seven touchdowns in the final five games of the regular season.
Henry was the league’s rushing champion in 2019, amassing 1,540 and a league leading 16 rushing touchdowns. In the playoffs he ran for 446 yards and two touchdowns while beating teams like the Tom Brady led New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens on the road.
Despite the considerable resume, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is still urging for patience with regards to working out the deal.
“Derrick signed his franchise tender, he’s under contract,” Vrabel said on NFL Now on Thursday. “I know that Jon (Robinson) and (VP of football administration) Vin Marino have been in contact with his reps. Having been involved with the NFL for a lot of years, getting deals done is about being patient, hopefully keeping them private and confidential. So I’m going to try to respect that, and understand that we love Derrick and he understands how important he is to our football team. Again, his leadership that grew last year, I’m looking forward, I know our team is looking for more of that this year.”
Back in April, Henry signed his franchise tag tender which will pay him $10.278 million this season before hitting the market.
The Titans have just six days to get a long term deal done or Henry will be playing on that salary for this season and his future with the team may not extend beyond this season.
Rest assured for Titans fans, general Manager Jon Robinson has made it a point to sign Henry to a multi-year deal.
But time is running short.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
