NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Newly-hired Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon has to immediately roll up his sleeves and get to work on a roster coming off of a 7-10 record, the worst in five seasons under coach Mike Vrabel.
That won't be an easy task. According to Roster Management System, the Titans sit $23.1 million over the $224.8 million cap.
Only four teams have a worse cap deficit.
The new league year starts March 15 with a negotiation period allowed to begin two days prior. Carthon will be tasked with making the Titans cap compliant before then, and he'll also have to find a way to get the Titans headed back in the right direction.
Here's a look at some of the big decisions in the coming weeks:
Who will be the quarterback?
Ryan Tannehill is the incumbent starter. But the team is facing a crossroads with Tannehill, whose cap number will be $36.6 million. Tennessee would save $17.8 million in cap space if he was released.
The Titans have made the playoffs in three of the four years that Tannehill has been the starter and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2021. Can they go further with him as the quarterback?
"Ryan has won a lot of football games," Carthon said. "I look forward to us winning the football games, but I still need more time to evaluate and make those decisions. This is a quarterback-driven league and people are hired and fired every day over that position."
Other options:
Aaron Rodgers - Trading for the Green Bay Packers quarterback would give the Titans a player that can go toe to toe with the top quarterbacks in the AFC. Rodgers would have to renegotiate some of his contract to join the Titans and will likely cost significant draft capital.
Derek Carr - The Las Vegas Raiders released Carr, making him a free agent. Carr (31 years old) is four years younger than Tannehill and finished with less than 4,000 passing yards (3,522) for the first time since 2017. Signing Carr to a significant contract on top of the money that would be owed to Tannehill if he's released could be a tough investment for the Titans.
The Draft - The No. 11 overall pick in the draft isn't likely to land one of the top quarterback prospects. But the Titans could move up to get one of them, whether it be Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis or Alabama's Bryce Young if their focus is on the future.
Veteran cap casualties
Cutting veteran players is never an easy decision. That is especially the case this year as the Titans will likely part ways with a player who's been with the team longer than anyone else on the roster. The Titans can free up $45 million in cap space by releasing four veterans.
OT Taylor Lewan - Lewan's nine seasons with the Titans make him the longest-tenured player on the team. However, Lewan has only played 20 games over the last three seasons because of ACL tears in 2020 and 2022. There is no dead money if the Titans release him, allowing them to trim $14.8 million off of the salary cap.
LB Zach Cunningham - An elbow injury kept Cunningham out for most of the season. He only played in six games in 2022 and posted 24 tackles. Releasing Cunningham saves $8.9 million from his $13.4 million cap hit and clears the way for 2021 third-round pick Monty Rice to become one of the starting inside linebackers.
LB Bud Dupree - Injuries have slowed Dupree during his time with the Titans. Dupree has seven sacks in 22 games over two seasons in Tennessee, and although the stats don't directly show it, his presence on the field has been felt by his teammates.
"He's a big-time player," Titans safety Kevin Byard said. "Obviously he's battled some injuries. But when he's out there, he brings the juice and energy."
Releasing Dupree would save $9.4 million in cap space. Dupree's $17 million base salary is the fifth-highest among outside linebackers. The Titans would have to work out a restructured deal to lower Dupree's $20.2 million cap number if they want to keep his veteran presence.
WR Robert Woods - Woods finished with 53 receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns in his lone season with the team. That's a significant dip from the 88 receptions for 1,096 yards that Woods averaged in the previous three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. It should be noted that Woods played 17 games last season despite tearing his ACL in November 2021. Releasing Woods would save $12 million in cap space, but it would leave Tennessee without a proven veteran receiver. Woods should be a candidate for a restructure/extension to lower his $14.6 million cap number to keep him around.
Retaining free agents
Tennessee has 25 players that are set to hit the free-agent market. It wouldn't make sense to use the franchise tag on any of them, but they have some decisions to make on key players.
OG Nate Davis - Davis figures to warrant the biggest payday of the Titans' free agents. The 2019 third-round pick has started 40 out of 49 games for Tennessee. Davis' 93.2% pass block win rate was 46th in the NFL and tops among all Titans' linemen. With four starting offensive line spots possibly opening up, it would be tough for Tennessee to lose out on Davis as he may have priced himself out of the Titans' range.
LB David Long Jr. - Long is a high-energy player that has a way of finding the ball whenever he's on the field. Despite missing five games, Long was second on the Titans in tackles (86) and fourth in tackles for a loss (7).
"He's made a lot of plays," defensive coordinator Shane Bown said. "He's always been an instinctive player for us. Then in third downs, he brings a different element. His zone and man coverage ability, then being able to blitz is just a different skill set."
At 26 years old, Long is just entering his prime years and should be a player the Titans keep around.
TE Austin Hooper - Hooper started off slow but posted 24 of his 41 receptions over the last eight games. His 503 snaps were the second-most among Titans' tight ends. The emergence of Chig Okonkwo and a strong draft class at the position could lead to Hooper moving on, but Okonkwo is the only tight end on the current roster that played at least 200 snaps last season.