3 Reasons the Tennessee Titans Should Trade for Aaron Rodgers
Music City, USA. A place where people like Cole Swindell go to find stardom and become a country music sensation. It is also where long-time legends go to find their sound again and drop that comeback. Hey, Willie Nelson did it by winning this year’s Grammy Award for Best Country Album, and he’s 89 years old.
While only 39, Aaron Rodgers is about the same age as Willie in football years and is nearing his last chance to capture a ring. If he decides that Tennessee is the place to be, he’ll have the opportunity to try and bring the Titans their first Super Bowl in franchise history. So, does Rodgers have a little stage star left in him?
If he does, the city of Nashville likely won’t tear down its beloved Johnny Cash museum, but they might just build an A-Rod exhibit on the roof.
1. Can’t Compete in the AFC Without an Elite QB
The AFC is about as rich at the quarterback position as it has ever been. The top four favorites for MVP play in the American Football Conference. Josh Allen (+700), Joe Burrow (+700), Patrick Mahomes (+700), and Justin Herbert (+900) are all proven top talent, with each finishing in the top five in either passing yards or touchdowns tosses last season.
But, before even thinking of competing for the Conference Championship, the Titans already have to deal with an up-and-coming superstar quarterback to get out of the division.
Trevor Lawrence led the Jacksonville Jaguars to an unlikely division title last year after beating Tennessee twice and ending the regular season on a five game win streak. The fifth win came in the season-finale against the Titans with the AFC South crown on the line.
The 2021 first-overall pick followed that by leading his Jags to the third-biggest comeback in NFL postseason history. Lawrence tossed four touchdown passes (three in the second half) en route to erasing a 27-point deficit to stun the Los Angeles Chargers in the divisional round.
The expected continued growth of Lawrence has him just outside of the AFC elite proven gunslingers tied for seventh on the MVP odds board at +1600.
Guess who is tied with Lawrence, Aaron Rodgers.
Likely the Titans starting quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, if he is not moved, is pretty close to an impossibility at +10000. He is coming off his two worst statistical seasons in a Tennessee uniform.
2. Derrick Henry’s Elite RB Window May be Closing
The fact that Derrick Henry (+15000) is the first running back on the MVP futures board with longer odds than Tannehill should tell you two things. First, it’s a quarterback driven league, conference, and division. Second, Henry is still one of the best backs in football, but for how long?
The 2020 AP Offensive Player of the year has been an absolute workhorse over the past four years. Henry led the league in carries in three of the past four seasons. He was on his way in 2021 before a Pedal Foot Fracture ended his regular season after eight games. The punishing runner still had 219 rushing attempts.
While Henry showed he could still wear the bell cow leading the league in carries coming off the worst injury of his career, his ground numbers were down. Henry’s 4.4 YPC clip was his lowest full-season average since he became Tennessee’s full-time back. That said, the former Alabama standout set new career bests with 33 catches and 398 receiving yards.
Henry turned 29 in January, which is starting to approach the steep decline age for NFL running backs. While 30-31 is the usual age for a significant drop-off, high-volume ball carriers decline right around Henry’s age.
Rodgers would have a few years with the best pure RB he has ever had, with an improved pass-catching game. Henry would get a quarterback to open up the air attack and keep defenses from continually stacking the box. It sounds like a recipe to keep both fresher come playoff time.
3. AFC South is Tennessee’s for the Taking
The AFC South will be the worst division in football next season. Oddsmakers have the rebuilding Houston Texans as the longest shot to win the Super Bowl at +20000. At the same time, the Indianapolis Colts are tied with the Arizona Cardinals at +18000 for the second-worst chances.
Even though the Titans are at +7500, they are a world ahead of both division rivals and an Aaron Rodgers away from the Jaguars, who sit at +2500.
Don’t forget, Tennessee coughed up the South thanks to a seven-game losing streak that saw Ryan Tannehill get hurt, rookie Malik Willis struggle mightily, and Joshua Dobbs put up a QB rating of 73.8 over the team’s final two games.
The seven-game slide silver lining is the Titans have the fourth-easiest schedule in 2023. Tennessee’s opponents combined for a 0.448 winning percentage last season.
Titans 2023 Opponents
- Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks
- Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While the lowly Texans and Colts eat a significant chunk of next year’s slate, visiting the Brady-less Bucs and hosting the Falcons, Seahawks, and Panthers should all be games with a tight spread, even without Rodgers.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
