Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images A change of scenery worked well for Ryan Tannehill once he was given an opportunity in 2019.
After spending the first seven years of his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins, Tannehill was traded to the Tennessee Titans last offseason. He then opened the campaign as the backup quarterback to Marcus Mariota.
When Mariota struggled, the Titans turned to Tannehill and never looked back. The 31-year-old passed for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions while leading Tennessee to the playoffs and winning the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award.
So it's easy to see why the Titans would be interested in bringing back Tannehill, who is about to be a free agent.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport recently reported during an appearance on NFL Total Access that Tennessee has made it a priority to bring back Tannehill rather than waiting to see how Tom Brady's free-agent situation develops.
"Right now, they are focused on getting Ryan Tannehill done," Rapoport said. "They have had negotiations on a long-term extension for Tannehill. Really not a surprise as they've done it probably since the combine at the very least. Their focus right now is on retaining their own players."
With free agency set to begin Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, it's possible that the Titans will try to sign Tannehill to a deal before he's free to negotiate with other teams.
Tannehill started 88 games for the Dolphins from 2012 until 2018, but he never had a winning record as a starter in any of those seasons. He went 7-3 during the regular season as the Titans' starting quarterback in 2019 before guiding them to upset road wins over the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs and a berth in the AFC Championship Game.
Although Brady has had more success in his career, reaching the Super Bowl nine times and winning six championships with New England, he's turning 43 in August and may not have many seasons remaining. With Tannehill only set to turn 32 this summer, perhaps that's why the Titans are putting their focus on him this offseason.
As ESPN's Turron Davenport pointed out, Tannehill led the NFL in completion percentage (70 percent) and yards per attempt (4.9) in the red zone last season. While running back Derrick Henry played a large role in Tennessee's offensive success, Tannehill made his share of big plays too.
It was that effectiveness that has Tannehill in line to get a nice payday this offseason. Per Spotrac, Tannehill's market value is at an average annual salary of $26.6 million, projecting him to get a three-year deal worth about $80 million.
And if things go as expected, it will likely be the Titans giving Tannehill that offer.
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