The storybook ending on the field, complete with running back Derrick Henry thanking fans for “the greatest eight years of my life,” was just the first sign that an era ended at Nissan Stadium Sunday.
Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill closed out one of the more successful overall chapters of Titans football Sunday, turning back the clock one last time to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, derailing their longtime rivals’ playoff hopes.
Despite the struggles of the last season-and-a-half, it was a good way for the Titans to send out two players who came to embody the team’s fruitful years from 2019-21.
Both Henry and Tannehill sounded as if they know their time together in Tennessee had come to an end. And both also firmly have continuing to play somewhere in the NFL in their future plans.
“I’m just thankful for everybody that’s been a part of this journey, like you said with the accomplishments that I have had, they play a big part in that. Just want to thank everybody,” Henry said as part of a postgame news conference thanking so many people connected to the Titans that it felt like a Golden Globes acceptance speech.
But make no mistake, while Henry might be on his way to a new destination, he is no average 30-year-old running back. His 153-yard rushing effort Sunday showed he still has plenty of ability, and you can bet the competitive fire still burns – especially if Henry has to pick up and start over somewhere else after eight years in one location.
That somewhere, if Henry has his way, would be with a Super Bowl contender.
“When that time comes, we’ll evaluate and see what makes sense. I’m not getting younger. I want a ring; I want to win a Super Bowl,” Henry says. “I didn’t win state in high school, so I said before I leave college, I have to get a national championship. I’m in year eight now, so the Super Bowl is definitely my next goal. That’s where I want to get. So, wherever that comes and whoever can help get close to that, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Henry scored his 90th rushing touchdown to move into a tie with Eric Dickerson and Curtis Martin, both Hall of Famers, for 13th place on the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown list. No other Titans/Oilers players appear in the top 20. Eddie George had 68, and Earl Campbell 74.
One more would move him past Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis. Emmitt Smith tops the list with 164.
Certainly, Henry’s eight-year run with the Titans – especially the last few years – will get him into the Hall of Fame once his career is done.
Henry, who ranks 36th on the all-time rushing yards list with 9,502, just 149 behind Chris Johnson (Titans, Jets, Cardinals) – might very well be the best player to spend the bulk of his career with the Titans segment of the franchise. Certainly, Henry has earned his place alongside George, Steve McNair and others to have worn the two-tone blue for any length of time.
“It’s been some greats to come through here, so it’s hard for me to put my name above those guys. If you consider me as one of the greats, I appreciate it,” Henry says. “But I feel like there’s still a lot for me to do to be considered with those guys. It’s been humbling. God has certainly been good to me throughout my career. It never goes the way you want it to, but I feel like He always comes at the right time when you need Him. Just thankful for everything.”
As for Tannehill, his legacy as a Titan isn’t quite on the level of Henry – largely because of his three-interception meltdown against Cincinnati in the 2021 playoffs.
But Tannehill’s time as a Titan is much better than just one bad postseason performance. Without Tannehill and receiver A.J. Brown as the passing complement to Henry’s rushing prowess, the run the Titans had through that three-year stretch probably would never have happened.
It was Tannehill who rescued a floundering 2019 season when he replaced a struggling Marcus Mariota after a shutout loss in Denver that dropped that squad to 2-4. Tannehill then led the NFL in yards per attempt and helped carry the Titans all the way to the AFC title game.
Along the way, the Titans ended the Brady-Belichick dynasty in New England and bounced MVP Lamar Jackson and the top-seeded Ravens from the postseason.
The last two years were not as kind to Tannehill, as he suffered multiple ankle injuries, losing his starting job to rookie Will Levis after the final one. He wasn’t happy about that decision, but he played the good soldier well enough not to be a distraction.
“It’s been emotional,” Tannehill said after Sunday’s win. “It’s been a hard season, obviously. Just trying to stay true to who I am, and what I believe in, and be the same guy, obviously when things are going well and obviously, this year, when things weren’t going well.
“And there were a lot of times where I had to swallow my pride and forcefully lift my head up and go into the building with a smile on my face on days when I didn’t want to. I wanted to pity myself and be mad. But I knew that wasn’t a positive thing, and it wasn’t a good thing for my teammates to see.
“I didn’t want to be a negative influence, an energy vampire, in any way. Had to put my chin up and a smile on my face, even when I didn’t feel like it. Hopefully, I was able to help the guys out, help the team out. And they saw my character through the whole process, because at the end of the day, what you do and how you do it speaks a lot to your character.”
Like Henry, Tannehill wants to play somewhere in 2024. He simply wants the chance to prove he can still be an effective NFL starting quarterback.
“I know I can keep playing. I don’t know what the future holds, and we’ll see,” Tannehill says. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But I know I can keep playing. I feel good, I feel confident that if given the right opportunity and the right place, yeah, I’d love to keep playing.”
So as the Titans begin a rebuild and the two faces of their previous success likely move on, there is no doubt that despite not reaching the ultimate prize, the franchise has been better for what Henry and Tannehill have done.
Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com