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Tennessee Titans NFL free agents 2025: Best players to re-sign, who must be let go

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Tennessee Titans NFL free agents 2025: Best players to re-sign, who must be let go


The Tennessee Titans have a long list of players set to hit free agency when the NFL league year starts anew on Wednesday, March 12, ranging from veterans who could easily find their way into starting lineups to younger players still trying to find their foothold.

NFL teams will be permitted to begin negotiating with free agents and their representatives on March 10, and several players will agree to contracts in the minutes and hours that follow. Others may carry their free agencies into the summer, electing not to sign until the start of training camp.

As free agency begins, let’s go position-by-position through the Titans’ pending free agents and organize them by how much the Titans should want to bring them back.

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Quarterbacks

Mason Rudolph ― Don’t bring back: There are plenty of backup quarterback options on the market this offseason, many who have higher upside as in-a-pinch starters than the production Rudolph flashed in 2024.

Running backs

Julius Chestnut ― Keep options open: The Titans need a reliable power back. There should be plenty of opportunities to find one in the NFL draft. But that doesn’t mean Chestnut can’t try to find a way onto the roster or practice squad in camp.

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Joshua Kelley ― Don’t bring back: Maybe he can provide some special teams value, but the Titans barely used Kelley in 2024. Enrich the roster some place else.

Wide receivers

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ― Make an offer: Don’t overpay here, but try to keep him around. Westbrook-Ikhine is a valuable and productive player who should be considered a valuable No. 3 or No. 4 option. Try to bring him back, but don’t let sentimentality cloud judgment.

Tay Martin ― Keep options open: Give him a chance in training camp. Solid practice squad option.

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Tyler Boyd ― Don’t bring back: Boyd served his purpose last year helping the Titans’ skill guys acclimate to coach Brian Callahan’s offense. But the Titans need to get younger and faster at receiver.

Tight ends

Nick Vannett ― Keep options open: Vannett’s veteran savvy serves a purpose. If he wants to come back, he’s worth a roster spot. But it’s not a make-or-break signing.

Offensive line

Dillon Radunz ― Stay in touch: There are worse fates than running things back with Radunz at right guard in 2025. If that’s the case, so be it. But as the Titans continue to reconfigure their offensive line, paying for a bigger-ticket option or drafting a younger player with higher upside both feel like more viable choices.

Daniel Brunskill ― Stay in touch: If Brunskill wants to pursue options as a starter, the Titans can move on. If he’s willing to come back on a deal as a rotational backup piece, he’s worth a roster spot.

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Corey Levin ― Keep options open: Another valuable depth piece who won’t break the bank if he wants to come back and compete for a spot again.

Andrew Rupcich ― Keep options open: Unfortunate injury timing derailed his 2024. That doesn’t mean his career should be over.

Defensive line

Sebastian Joseph-Day ― Bring him back: He won’t garner the kind of attention T’Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons do, but he’s an important piece on the defensive front. Sign him to another deal and use him to fill multiple roles.

James Lynch ― Keep options open: He’s a solid player who, at the very least, has some value competing for a spot in camp.

Marlon Davidson ― Keep options open: Davidson was poised for a role on last year’s team before getting injured. There’s no guarantee he’ll be able to win that role in 2025, but it could be worth seeing how he recovers.

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Keondre Coburn ― Don’t bring back: His relationship with Sweat matters, but Coburn hasn’t produced much in his two years in Nashville.

TK McLendon Jr. ― Don’t bring back: The Titans made do without him last year and can continue to find bodies at his spot.

Linebacker

Jack Gibbens ― Make an offer: There’s clearly something there when he’s on the field. He’s got holes in his game, and it’s hard to see him as an every-down linebacker. But the value is real.

Luke Gifford ― Make an offer: He does his jobs on special teams well. He shouldn’t get starter money, but he’s worth a roster spot.

Otis Reese IV ― Keep options open: Reese is a solid special teams player with athletic upside. If he wants to stick around, let him compete for a spot.

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Chance Campbell ― Keep options open: It’s hard not to get sentimental with how bad Campbell’s injury luck has been. But he’s going on three years without really playing football at this point. He’s got to really prove himself.

Garret Wallow ― Keep options open: Solid depth piece. Played well before getting hurt in training camp. Could be worth a shot.

Jerome Baker ― Don’t bring back: His brief time in Nashville was a disappointment at best. Move on.

Raekwon McMillan ― Don’t bring back: His two-game Titans tenure didn’t mean enough to justify another year.

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Defensive backs

Justin Hardee ― Bring him back: Hardee’s importance to the Titans’ special teams units last year was massive. As the team rebuilds in these spaces, Hardee matters.

Quandre Diggs ― Make an offer: If Diggs wants to come back to Nashville, the Titans should sign him. Keep an eye out for younger options too, but Diggs is a difference-maker.

Darrell Baker Jr. ― Make an offer: There’s some potential here. Let him incubate for another year and see how he develops.

Mike Brown ― Keep options open: Brown does his job. The Titans can rely on that again, but don’t need to value him as a starter.

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Specialists

Ryan Stonehouse ― Bring him back: No-brainer. Protect him and let him keep booming punts.

Morgan Cox ― Make an offer: Consistency is key at long snapper, and Cox’s consistency hasn’t dropped off yet. If he wants back, sign him.

Nick Folk ― Make an offer: There’s still plenty of juice in Folk’s leg. It’s less a matter of if the Titans should want to bring him back than it is what Folk sees about his own future.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.



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Remembering one of Middle Tennessee’s largest tornado outbreaks 4 years later

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Remembering one of Middle Tennessee’s largest tornado outbreaks 4 years later


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Four years ago, Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky were impacted by one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record. On Dec. 10 and 11, 2021, a tornado outbreak impacted areas from Arkansas and Missouri all the way into northern Indiana and Ohio. There was a total of 66 tornadoes; 16 of […]



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Tracking Music City Bowl opt outs for Tennessee and Illinois

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Tracking Music City Bowl opt outs for Tennessee and Illinois


Tracking the opt outs for both Tennessee and Illinois before the Music City Bowl on December 30 (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville:

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Linebacker Arion Carter: Carter over the last seasons had 96 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 31 career games. He had a team-high 76 tackles this season, with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games. He missed two games and was limited against Oklahoma in November while dealing with turf toe injuries. Carter had 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 13 games last season and 17 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss in eight games as a freshman in 2023. 

Wide Receiver Chris Brazzell II: He a breakout senior season in his second year with the Vols, catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 19 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, after transferring from Tulane. In 15 games at Tulane he caught 45 passes for 722 yards and five touchdowns. Brazzell is ranked No. 7 at wide receiver on Mel Kiper Jr.’s NFL Draft Big Board. He’s ranked No. 34 overall on ESPN’s list of the best available prospects in the draft.

Cornerback Jermod McCoy: Did not play this season after tearing his ACL during offseason training in January. He was a star last season with 44 tackles, nine passes defended and four interceptions. He had 31 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games as a freshman at Oregon State before transferring to Tennessee. 

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Illinois

Offensive Tackle J.C. Davis: Bret Bielema said the Illinois starting left tackle is opting out of the Music City Bowl. He was an All-Big Ten First Team pick by the league coaches this season and the No. 3 left tackle this season according to Pro Football Focus grades. He had made 49 straight starts before opting out of the bowl game.

EDGE Gabe Jacas: The Illinois outside linebacker declared for the NFL Draft on Friday night. He led the Big Ten this season with 11.0 sacks. He had 13.5 tackles for loss and 43 total tackles in 12 games this season. He finishes second in Illinois program history for career sacks, with 27.0, trailing only Simeon Rice. Jacas had 74 tackles, 8.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss last season, after combining for 8.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons at Illinois.



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More than 8,500 layoffs hit Tennessee in 2025, nearly 19% increase from 2024

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More than 8,500 layoffs hit Tennessee in 2025, nearly 19% increase from 2024


Tennessee employers laid off more than 8,500 workers in 2025 compared to 7,320 last year, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

This is about a 19% increase in layoffs, with WARN notices impacting 8,691 Tennesseans to date. As of 2023, 5,168 Tennessee workers were laid off through WARN notices.

Counties in Middle Tennessee impacted include:

  • Davidson
  • Sumner
  • Maury
  • Rutherford
  • Williamson
  • Wilson
  • Coffee
  • DeKalb
  • Bedford
  • Lawrence
  • Putnam

The largest layoff this year was in Maury County. Come January, 710 employees will be laid off from GM Ultium Cells’ Spring Hill facility. Research Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville Michael Kofoed tells FOX 17 News that the facility is is likely impacted by the rise on steel tariffs ruled out by the Trump administration. He adds steel tariffs raise input costs for employers which directly impacts employees’ salary or employment.

The second largest layoff impacted 658 workers at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC in Rutherford County with 615 workers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center permanently laid off. WARN notices are reports a company is required to file with the state to give workers time to find future employment.

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Kofoed states that Tennessee is seeing a troubling trend, with layoffs skyrocketing since 2023.

“That is a very big and concerning number,” Kofoed said.

According to CNBC, more than 1.1 million U.S. employees were laid off this year, the highest 11-month total since 2020.



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