Derrick Henry Returning to Titans in NFL Free Agency Not Ruled Out, GM Carthon Says

Derrick Henry will likely play elsewhere in 2024, but Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon is not ruling out a reunion.

"He knows where we are and we know where he is," Carthon said Tuesday, per Turron Davenport of ESPN. "We'll be well positioned to do whatever we need to do. When those conversations need to be had, we'll have them with Derrick and his team."

He isn't the only one to suggest as much, as new Titans head coach Brian Callahan said on 102.5 The Game in January: "A player like Derrick Henry fits into any offense. If he's open to a return, that fits for us. I'm never going to reject good players. There's no offense that would say I wouldn't want Derrick Henry."

Yet other signs suggest the star running back will not be in Tennessee.

On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the AFC South team does not plan on placing the franchise tag on him. What's more, Henry sounded like he was saying his goodbyes to Titans fans when he addressed the crowd after the team's season finale in January:

Even if he signs elsewhere this offseason, Henry will be remembered as one of the best players in franchise history.

The 2016 second-round draft pick has played his entire career for the Titans as a four-time Pro Bowler who led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns twice. He was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 when he posted 2,207 yards and 17 scores on the ground.

While the 30-year-old has lost some of that explosiveness, he still ran for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023.

A return would still be surprising, but the general manager is not ruling it out at this point of the offseason.