Derrick Henry has been with the Titans since Tennessee made him a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but the long-time running back isn't sure whether he has a future with the team beyond this season.
Henry was asked about his future after the Titans' 16-13 loss on Sunday that eliminated them from playoff contention. He was candid that he felt as though a parting between the duo may be imminent.
"Yeah, definitely today you had that feeling [that it could be the end of my career with the Titans]," Henry said, per ESPN . "I had hope of kind of slipping in there [the playoffs], and then being eliminated with three games left. I've been here my whole career. Definitely wanted to go out strong, which that isn't the case."
Indeed, the Titans have limped to a 5-9 record during Henry's eighth season with the team. And given that the team brought in new general manager Ran Carthon to run the show last offseason, many are wondering whether he will start to reshape the Tennessee roster a bit more in 2024.
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That could lead to the departure of Henry, a veteran running back whose contract will expire at the season's end, especially considering the 29-year-old's age and his recent performance.
Derrick Henry stats today vs. Texans Henry has had a solid season for the Titans overall, but his outing against the Texans was arguably the worst of his career. The 6-3, 247-pound back still handled a hefty workload, logging 16 carries during the contest, but he managed just a paltry 9 yards rushing during the game.
That is the fewest Henry has ever logged as a starter. He had averaged 203.6 yards per game in his last five outings against Houston, so the difference in this contest was jarring.
The fault for Henry's performance doesn't solely lie with the running back. His offensive line failed to open lanes for him while his coaches couldn't come up with enough clever ways to get him the ball with a lane to exploit.
Still, Henry wasn't pleased with his output, and he credited the Texans for outperforming the Titans on Sunday.
"We weren't great today as a whole," Henry said. "They were the better team today. The credit goes to them. It seemed like they had an answer for everything."
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Derrick Henry contract Henry is in the final year of a four-year, $50 million contract extension he inked with the Titans during the summer of 2020. He is carrying a cap hit of just under $16.4 million this season and, because of some void years on his contract, will continue to count against the Titans' salary cap in each of the next two offseasons.
Below is a full look at the structure of Henry's contract, which expires at the end of the 2023 NFL season.
Year Base salary Bonuses Cap hit Dead cap 2020 $3,000,000 $3,000,000 $6,000,000 $25,500,000 2021 $10,500,000 $3,000,000 $13,500,000 $19,500,000 2022 $4,000,000 $5,367,647 $9,367,647 $14,250,000 2023 $10,500,000 $5,867,647 $16,367,647 $20,602,941 2024* — $2,367,647 $4,735,294 $4,735,294 2025* — $2,367,647 $2,367,647 $2,367,647
* Henry is not under contract in 2024 or 2025. The Titans simply attached two void years to Henry's deal to differ some of the accounting for guaranteed money paid to him in future seasons. So, Henry will count against the cap even while not with the Titans in 2024 and 2025.
As mentioned, it isn't certain whether Henry will return to the Titans in 2024 or if the team will transition to 2023 third-round pick Tyjae Spears as its lead back.
Regardless of the plan, Henry is just focused on what he can control now.
"I'll try to give it my all in these last three games and leave it all on the field," Henry said.
