According to Jim Wyatt of Nashville Tennessean, the Titans will need to make a decision regarding the future of QB Jake Locker this offseason.
Although Locker is under contract through the 2014 season at a base salary of $2.09 million, the Titans hold a 2015 team option. The problem for Tennessee is that they will need to decide whether or not to pick up Locker’s 2015 option by May 3, 2014.
Locker is a part of the 2010 rookie class, which is the draft class to fall under the rules of the new collective bargaining agreement. Since Locker was a top-10 pick, the Titans are afford the option of keeping him for a fifth season, but doing so would require them to pay him a salary equal to the NFL transition tag.
For a little perspective, the 2013 transition tag was $13.068 million. So you can why this is a big decision for Tennessee. They will need to make this decision before Locker plays even a single game in 2014.
Locker will miss the remainder of the 2013 season after he suffered a Lisfranc injury this past weekend. This means Locker will have missed 14 of 32 career starts due to injury and his overall record as the team’s starter is just 8-10.
All things considered, I would expect the Titans to decline the option and try to possibly work out an extension if they want to keep him moving forward.
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I think the titans do have to let locker go after the year and chris johnson as well but they would have to find the right guys to take over for them though
The problem here is simple bad luck. There is nothing in Locker’s performance to warrant not keeping him; on the contrary he has shown genuine improvement from his first year as a starter; that he’s suffered season-ending injuries in two straight years is reminiscent of Matthew Stafford in his first two seasons as starter – and after his first two years he’s been among the best in the league.
Locker has that same potential and it has been coming out the more he’s played. I see no scenario where he doesn’t stay with the Titans.