Derrick Henry put together a pair of legendary playoff performances when the Titans made a surprise run to the AFC championship game in 2020. How close did he come to getting another opportunity this year?
The former Offensive Player of the Year didn't make the playoffs with the Titans, but he told the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast that a trade to a playoff contender nearly went down at the deadline.
"One of them, I felt like it was pretty close. A lot went down between ... that little saga with the trade," Henry said, explaining that three teams were pursuing him and two reached the playoffs. "It was close. It was close, boys. It was close."
Titans RB Derrick Henry says he was “close” to being traded. Made it sound very close.
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) January 17, 2024
Said 2 suitors he knew of are currently in the playoffs.
(@BussinWTB) pic.twitter.com/QdT7kx0rPC
The Titans never publicly appeared to be on the verge of trading Henry, and the franchise told its star days before the October deadline that they didn't plan to trade him, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old running back believes a deal was closer than anyone else knew.
Tennessee ultimately held onto Henry after notching a win in quarterback Will Levis' NFL debut to move to 3-4 two days before the deadline. The Titans went 3-7 the rest of the way and fired head coach Mike Vrabel shortly after the end of their season, signaling a potential rebuild moving forward.
MORE: Why the Titans fired coach Mike Vrabel
Derrick Henry free agency
While Titans general manager Ran Carthon left the door open for a potential Henry return earlier in January, the four-time Pro-Bowler said goodbye to fans after Tennessee's final game of the season and said on the podcast that winning is his top priority as he enters free agency.
"I want to be somewhere that, whatever happens, that gives me the best shot of winning the Super Bowl," Henry said. That likely isn't what the Titans can offer at this time, so a split seems likely after eight seasons.
Who could be interested? While Henry is entering his ninth season, he remained productive in 2023 despite a limited supporting cast in Tennessee. The NFC East could be a division to watch after the Cowboys flamed out in the playoffs, plus Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown indicated he would welcome a Henry trade last offseason.
