If Tennessee Titans fans expected a flurry of activity on trade deadline day, they were left disappointed. General manager Mike Borgonzi made one trade, sending Amani Hooker to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick. The Titans did not make any additional trades.
Borgonzi obviously feels he has enough draft capital after trading Jeffery Simmons for three picks, including two first-round selections in 2027 and 2028, and he got another premium pick for Hooker. With the Titans’ 2026 roster mostly intact, we’re looking ahead to the team’s three biggest-scheduled cap hits in 2027. Let’s analyze each situation.
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The Titans increased Calvin Ridley’s 2027 cap charge when they restructured his contract this past offseason. Borgonzi did that by design. There’s essentially no scenario whatsoever where Ridley is on the team next season.
The veteran wideout has been an afterthought on offense this campaign. Ridley is struggling with drops and could fall behind Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor on the depth chart after Week 8. Releasing Ridley this offseason will clear $22.2 million in cap space, leaving a manageable dead-cap charge of $7.5 million.
The Titans signed Alontae Taylor to a three-year, $58 million contract in the offseason. His cap number is scheduled to jump sizably, from $14 million this season to $25m next season. That’s unfortunate, considering how the Titans misjudged his role in Robert Saleh’s defense.
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The Titans signed Taylor to play boundary cornerback, but they abandoned that mission after seeing him routinely struggle there. They’re now making Taylor an overpaid nickelback. That’s the position he most commonly played with the New Orleans Saints. The Titans probably just have to swallow this mistake.
Speaking of Taylor, John Franklin-Myers is another high-priced offseason addition who isn’t meeting expectations. The Titans have said he’s playing through a painful and limiting back injury. Franklin-Myers’ cap charge increases from $14.9 million to $23m next season.
Franklin-Myers was brought to Tennessee to pair with Simmons, but that was short-lived. JFM has produced just 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 14 pressures in eight appearances. The Titans need way more production from Franklin-Myers to justify this $63 million contract next season.
honorable mentions: LT Dan Moore ($22.1 million); LG Peter Skoronski ($22.4 million); WR Wan’Dale Robinson ($20.7 million)
