With all of the quarterback activity this offseason, from a mega-deal for Kirk Cousins and multiple backup QB trades to six rookies drafted in the first round, one player who remained unsigned was Ryan Tannehill.
The 36-year-old remains the highest-profile QB not under contract, a free agent since his four-year, $118 million deal with the Titans expired after last season. He has, sources say, been the subject of calls from interested teams over the course of the offseason.
Yet nothing has made the veteran leap at an opportunity.
What would it take for him to leave his family and go play one more season? Essentially, the perfect opportunity.
Sources say it would take a playoff contender in need of a quarterback, a team with a strong offensive line and offensive weapons. The money also would have to be right.
Tannehill has been throwing to local receivers, sources say, and is in shape. But he’s going to be patient for the right chance, if one comes at all.
Tannehill has made $195 million over the course of his 11-season career, but money would still be a factor in his decision.
Tannehill has seen firsthand a veteran signed off the street by a QB-needy team.
He was the Dolphins starting QB when he tore his ACL in 2017, leading the team to sign Jay Cutler to a one-year deal worth up to $13 million. Translate that to today’s terms, with the salary cap now at $255.4 million, and Cutler's deal should serve as a comparison for a potential Tannehill one.
Last year, more than two dozen backup QBs started games. Safe to say, if a playoff-ready team loses a QB for an extended period of time, Tannehill will get a call.
He recently joined The Athletic’s "Scoop City" podcast to say he won’t play just to add a year to his resume. It has to be right.
“Maybe a guy goes down and a team gives me a call, you never know what's going to happen, right?” Tannehill said in July. “So, just keeping the options open. But at the same time, not waiting on pins and needles for that call. I'm enjoying where I'm at… where my family, life is. You know, if something comes up, then fantastic. I'll jump wholeheartedly into it. But at the same time, not purely just waiting on that.”