Following a standout season, Tennessee's front office enters promising talks to secure their star guard long-term, potentially setting a new market record to protect quarterback Cam Ward.
The Tennessee Titans didn't give Cam Ward a very good offensive line for his rookie year.
Center Lloyd Cushenberry missed time due to a foot injury. J.C. Latham dealt with a hip injury that forced him to miss time.
Dan Moore Jr., Peter Skoronski and Kevin Zeitler were healthy for most of the season. Moore had an awful season, ranking 62nd out of 89 offensive tackles on PFF.
Zeitler ranked 13th out of all guards and Skoronski was sixth.
Skoronski and Zeitler were really the only bright spots on the offensive line last season. Zeitler is no longer with the team after the Titans decided not to re-sign him once his one-year deal expired.
Skoronski is back with his rookie deal not set to expire until 2028. Still, recent history suggests an extension could be coming before then.
Jeffery Simmons was awarded a three-year, $105.9 million extension earlier this offseason, even though his previous deal wasn't going to run out until 2028. At the time, Simmons was made the highest-paid defensive tackle in football.
The Philadelphia Eagles changed that after awarding Jalen Carter a four-year, $152 million extension, making him the highest-paid player at the position.
Either way, General Manager Mike Borgonzi has shown that he doesn't want to wait too long to pay his players what they're worth.
Borgonzi fielded media questions on Tuesday, including one about the timeline for a potential extension for Skoronski. He didn't have any updates, but did mention that there had been positive talks with Skoronski's agents.
"We're still hopeful," Borgonzi said. "You know, I have really nothing to update now, but we've had positive conversations with his agents."
What kind of money would the Titans pay Skoronski for an extension? Currently, the highest-paid guard based on a per-year basis in the NFL is Tyler Smith of the Dallas Cowboys.
Per Spotrac, Smith is being paid $24 million over four years. If the Titans want to make Skoronski the highest-paid player at his position, they would have to pay him more than $24 million per year.
The Titans return three starters on the offensive line from last year, and Skoronski definitely has the most promise of the group. After allowing the sixth-most sacks in the NFL for the second year in a row, it will be crucial to lock up a consistent player like Skoronski in the near future.
When will Skoronski get an extension from the Titans? Who knows.
Recent history tells us that it could be sooner rather than later.
