Titans gamble big in free agency, mirroring past NFL successes that transformed struggling teams into contenders. This bold strategy could finally bring them championship aspirations.
The Tennessee Titans fired Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season, after he finished with a 6-11 record.
Since then, the team has gone 6-28. Brian Callahan didn't even make it two full seasons before the franchise fired him. The Titans decided to fire Callahan after the Week 6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, it's a new era in the Music City, with Robert Saleh as head coach and Mike Borgonzi as the team's General Manager.
Monday was the start of the legal tampering period in the NFL, and Tennessee entered with the most cap space in the league. The Titans have added 11 players in free agency so far and retained a couple of players from last year's team with new deals.
On offense, the Titans signed free agents Wan'Dale Robinson, Cordell Volson, Mitchell Trubisky, Austin Schlottmann and Daniel Bellinger. The defensive transactions included John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor, Cor'Dale Flott, Joshua Williams and Jordan Elliott.
The team even made some special teams moves by signing former Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans punter Tommy Townsend. Plus, the Titans retained kicker Joey Slye and long snapper Morgan Cox.
The Titans were big spenders in free agency, but not everyone was impressed. ESPN's Bill Barnwell named the Titans one of the losers of free agency.
There's definitely a stigma around going all out in free agency, and for good reason.
It wasn't too long ago that the Titans made big splashes by bringing in Calvin Ridley, Lloyd Cushenberry, L'Jarius Sneed and Tony Pollard. Pollard is the only one of those four who has been productive, and Cushenberry isn't even on the team anymore.
Sneed and Ridley have been rumored to be traded or released.
According to Spotrac, the Titans have spent roughly $283 million in free agency this offseason. Recent NFL history shows that this could pay off for the Titans.
The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots did the same thing, and it paid dividends for them.
The Commanders finished 4-13 in 2023 and knew it was time for a change. They fired Ron Rivera and hired former Dallas Cowboys assistant and Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.
Washington spent roughly $91 million in 2024 on free agents. The Commanders then drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels, went 12-5 in the regular season, and reached the NFC Championship Game.
The Patriots used that same blueprint. The Patriots finished the 2024 season at 4-13. Unlike the Commanders, they already had their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye on the roster.
New England spent over $250 million in free agency in 2025, with big signings like Milton Williams, Stefon Diggs, Carlton Davis, and Harold Landry.
In 2026, the Patriots went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
The bottom line? The Commanders and Patriots both spent the most in free agency before turning things around.
There's a chance that this could easily blow up in the Titans' face, but it's clear that Borgonzi is following the same blueprint that the Commanders and Patriots did in the hopes of a quick turnaround in the Music City.
It's apparent that if you want to go from a losing team to a contender, you have to be willing to spend the big bucks. Borgonzi and the Titans are trying to do just that.