Peter Skoronski's Extension Means Titans Are Doing Things the Right Way

The Tennessee Titans got another big-time extension taken care of on Friday with guard Peter Skoronski. 

Skoronski is now the highest-paid guard in the NFL, earning more per year than Matthew Bergeron of the Atlanta Falcons, per Spotrac. The Titans are giving their best offensive lineman a four-year, $100 million extension. 

Skoronski is making $25 million per year, surpassing Bergeron's $24 million per year. The real kicker here is how much of that money is guaranteed. Tennessee is guaranteeing $88 million of that contract. 

The Titans are trying their hardest to change a narrative that has followed them since 2014. This has to do with giving first-round picks extensions. 

There have been three first-round picks who have gotten extensions from the Titans since then. Taylor Lewan received a five-year, $80 million extension in 2018, cementing him as the Titans' left tackle until his retirement after the 2022 season. 

If injuries hadn't derailed his career, he would've played for even longer. Still, it was the right move because finding a reliable left tackle isn't a very easy thing to do in the NFL. 

Back then, the Titans understood how important it was to draft and develop players. 

That sentiment hasn't been around the organization until the hiring of General Manager Mike Borgonzi last January. He said in one of his first interviews with the franchise that he plans to build through the draft and be selective in free agency. 

Since Lewan, the Titans have had Marcus Mariota, Jack Conklin, Corey Davis, Rashaan Evans, Jeffery Simmons, Isaiah Wilson, Caleb Farley, Treylon Burks, Skoronski, J.C. Latham, Cam Ward and Carnell Tate as first-round picks. 

Just Lewan, Simmons and Skoronski have received extensions from the organization. Simmons got his first extension in 2019 and just had another massive extension from the Titans this offseason. 

For the Titans to become a winning team again, the franchise will need to hit on more first-round picks and extend them for the future. 

The Titans' losing ways as of late can be attributed to more than just not finding quality first-round picks, but it's definitely played a role in the franchise's recent dip over the years. 

During the Jon Robinson era, it felt like the Titans were always taking a risk on their first-rounders.

There was the Wilson disaster, then Farley and Burks hardly saw the field. When Farley and Burks were healthy, it wasn't too long before they sustained another injury and missed even more time. 

Things are starting to change under Borgonzi. Based on his selections so far, Titans fans haven't really been left guessing. 

The obvious choice in the 2025 NFL Draft was Ward, and the Titans didn't leave it up to chance and took him No. 1 overall. Jeremiyah Love was linked to the Titans all offseason, but Borgonzi found the next best thing in Tate. 

Tate was the best player available and filled a hole on the roster at receiver. Borgonzi's moves have been calculated and are the result of plenty of research, something that wasn't clearly prioritized with Robinson.

It's still too early to tell about the Titans with Borgonzi, but moves like these can shape a franchise's future. If the Titans can turn things around, it'll be because of decisions like these from Borgonzi. 

The Titans are finally starting to do things the right way again. Hopefully, it'll lead to more wins on the football field in the near future.