The Titans expect Ryan Tannehill to be their 2023 quarterback, but they also won't guarantee the veteran will be on the roster come Week 1. It's par for the course in Tennessee, where new general manager Ran Carthon is a candidate to completely reset the offense with a borderline top-10 pick in this week's draft. As a result, according to ESPN, other teams believe Tannehill is -- or will be -- available via trade as the Titans consider longer-term options under center.
Tennessee isn't actively selling Tannehill, Jeremy Fowler said on "SportsCenter" Sunday, but most expect the team to be open to offers for the former Pro Bowler. The Titans have been strongly linked to this year's top QB prospects, hosting potential top-five picks like Anthony Richardson and Will Levis for pre-draft visits. They could also save almost $18 million by trading or releasing Tannehill before or during the draft, as the veteran is due $36.6M in 2023.
The market for Tannehill likely wouldn't be overwhelming, considering he's going on 35, coming off an injury-riddled season and entering a contract year. But these three teams could make sense as potential suitors:
Atlanta Falcons
They've already (inexplicably?) declared 2022 third-rounder Desmond Ridder their Opening Day starter, and they're paying former Commanders fill-in Taylor Heinicke decent backup money. But the Falcons have spent big everywhere else this offseason, and they might prefer added insurance. Most importantly, Tannehill has a noted history with coach Arthur Smith, who served as the Titans' offensive coordinator from 2019-2020, the two best seasons of the QB's career.
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Arizona Cardinals
The new Cardinals regime has gone above and beyond to publicly support Kyler Murray, but that doesn't mean the former Pro Bowler will be ready to start 2023 coming off a late-year ACL tear. Backup Colt McCoy, meanwhile, is going on 37, coming off his own injury. It's possible new coach Jonathan Gannon would prefer a better placeholder, and Arizona might already be talking with the Titans about a trade involving the Cardinals' No. 3 overall pick.
Green Bay Packers
If/when they finalize Aaron Rodgers' trade to the Jets, the Packers figure to be in the market for veteran insurance behind new QB1 Jordan Love, with only Danny Etling (zero career NFL snaps) also under contract at the position. Tannehill could make for an ideal mentor and No. 2, hailing from the same Titans system that produced coach Matt LaFleur. Green Bay also has a decent amount of cap space ($21.5M) entering the draft.
