The Tennessee Titans are starting this offseason with roughly $50 million in salary cap space available, but that doesn’t mean they are going to spend it in one swoop.
After attacking free agency in 2024 to the tune of $228 million, the new regime has talked about being more conservative this year, which makes sense. All of that money they spent eventually led them to a 3-14 record. Clearly the return on investment didn’t match up.
It should come as no surprise that much of that free agent class sits close to the top of the projected salary scale in 2025. According to the 33rd team (via SPOTRAC), one of those additions will have the highest cap hit on the team this year.
Ridley makes the list for the #Titans. https://t.co/7qK3MWMNNV
— Kayla Anderson
(@KaylaAndersonTV) February 12, 2025
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley sits atop that list in 2025 carrying a salary cap hit of $28 million. That is a ton of money for a player who pulled in 64 passes on 120 targets for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns.
Ridley did show some dynamic playmaking ability and the lack of production wasn’t all on him. The quarterback play was uneven at best and the offensive line struggled in pass protection, but $28 million is a lot of cap space for a wide receiver on a team without a quarterback.
There is no doubt he will return in 2025, and his presence should help whoever plays quarterback, but there is no doubt the Titans need more production to justify the expenditure.
With the free agency window opening in a month, it will be interesting to see how new general manager Mike Borgonzi goes about reshaping the roster. Odds are, it will be a completely different method than Ran Carthon used in 2024.