Derrick Henry trade odds: Bills, Dolphins, Giants, Chargers favored to land Titans All-Pro running back if dealt
Could the Tennessee Titans trade Derrick Henry?
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The Tennessee Titans already have purged several big-money veterans from their roster – although not yet quarterback Ryan Tannehill – to get under the NFL salary cap by the start of the new league year on March 15. Could former NFL Offensive Player of the Year and two-time rushing champion Derrick Henry be the next to go? The Titans won't be releasing the former Heisman Trophy winner but are reportedly open to trading him. SportsLine offers odds on the running back's destination if he is traded.
The old cliché is that heavily-used NFL backs fall off a cliff at age 30. Henry will be in his age-29 season in 2023 but was terrific again last season, rushing for 1,538 yards (second in NFL) and 13 touchdowns (his fifth straight season with double-digit TDs) in 16 games after injuries limited him to eight outings in 2021. Henry also caught a career-high 33 passes for 398 yards, mostly on screens.
He has led the league in carries three times, in rushing yards and rushing TDs twice, and is just one of eight players in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season (2,027 in 2020). Henry is due a base salary of $10.5 million this season, with none of it guaranteed, and it's the final year of his deal. Any team trading for him would have to take that on. According to Michael Silver of Bally Sports, the Titans were shopping Henry during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Tennessee does have a new general manager in Ran Carthon and might be ready for a full reboot in 2023. If the Titans were to trade Henry, they'd save $6.3 million on their salary cap in 2023. It's been quite some time since a Super Bowl-winner has had a truly high-priced running back on the roster. Over the last 14 Super Bowls, the median salary of the leading rusher on the winning team is just $1,074,685. BetMGM already has downgraded the Titans' odds to win Super Bowl 58 from +6600 to +8000 with the Henry trade news.
"We aren't going to build a roster around one person, in particular," Carthon said during the combine when asked if he would build the roster around Henry. "This is a football team."
The Titans have a history of letting star running backs walk when their perceived value has dropped -- Eddie George became a Cowboy and Chris Johnson a Jet. If Henry is available, there likely will be teams who are interested in both him and the younger Saquon Barkley of the Giants if the latter is not franchise-tagged (QB Daniel Jones is likely to get that). New York could simply pivot to Henry itself if Barkley walks.
The Buffalo Bills might be one player away from finally winning a Super Bowl and their running game was non-existent in the AFC playoff loss to Cincinnati. Devin Singletary is a free agent.
Miami's leading rusher, Raheem Mostert, is a free agent. Could the Dolphins add another former Alabama star to Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle?
There have been conflicting reports on whether Broncos running back Javonte Williams will be ready for the start of 2023 after his serious knee injury. Henry could fit well with the Chargers as a complement to Austin Ekeler.
The Eagles obviously love to run the ball and Miles Sanders is a free agent. The same goes for Damien Harris in New England and Jamaal Williams in Detroit. The Saints have Alvin Kamara, but he's looking at a potential suspension to start the 2023 campaign. New Orleans may not have the cap room for Henry after signing Derek Carr.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which team will Derrick Henry play for in 2023 if not the Titans?
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