Report: Titans May Use Franchise Tag on Jack Conklin Amid Derrick Henry Rumors

The Tennessee Titans haven't ruled out using the franchise tag on Jack Conklin rather than Derrick Henry, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.  

Florio reported the Titans are expected to franchise Henry but that they might be able to secure a long-term deal for the Pro Bowl running back, which would then allow them to tag the offensive tackle instead.

Tennessee already knocked out one of its biggest pieces of business this offseason. NFL Network's Ian Rapaport reported quarterback Ryan Tannehill agreed to a four-year, $118 million extension.

The team is in a race against the clock when it comes to its usage of the franchise tag.

As voting on a new collective bargaining agreement dragged on, the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to extend the franchise/transition tag deadline to Monday at 11:59 a.m. ET. The free-agency negotiating window also opens Monday, at which point Henry and Conklin can start speaking with other franchises.

Assuming Conklin doesn't get tagged, he'll almost certainly be playing elsewhere in 2020.

The Titans declined his fifth-year option in May 2019, which was a defensible decision at the time. He was limited to nine games in 2018 while first recovering from a torn ACL and then landing on injured reserve with a new knee injury.

In retrospect, general manager Jon Robinson would probably like a mulligan because Conklin is one of the best offensive tackles in this year's free-agent class. Spotrac estimated he could earn $15 million annually on his next deal, and that might be somewhat conservative.

Tennessee only has $38.8 million in available cap space, so meeting Conklin's demands will be difficult when accounting for the fact Henry would get $12.4 million from the franchise tag.