To make the Julio Jones trade work financially, the Tennessee Titans needed to do some accounting.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the Titans are doing a simple restructure of quarterback Ryan Tannehill's contract, per a source informed of the situation.
The move -- converting guaranteed salary into a signing bonus to spread it over the remainder of the deal -- adds two voidable years to end of Tannehill's deal, which ran through 2023, and will clear more than $18 million off the Titans' cap this year, per Rapoport.
Jones will cost the Titans $15.3 million this season.
Tannehill signed a four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans in 2020, placing him under contract through the 2023 season. While the restructure lowers his cap figure this season, it will bump up the number in future years, when the cap is expected to increase, potentially significantly in 2023. Without adding void years, Tannehill's cap hit is expected to increase to approximately $42 million in 2022.
The Titans had approximately $2.36 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, before Tannehill's restructure.
Doing the simple restructure on Tannehill's deal was the anticipated answer for how the Titans would add Jones' contract. Tennessee could also have restructured Kevin Byard or Taylor Lewan's contract to free up space.
