Tennessee
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Vanderbilt football heads to Knoxville this weekend as 2.5-point underdogs as it looks to take down Tennessee on the way to its first 10-win season in program history. Taking down Josh Heupel’s 8-3 team will be a tall task of sorts, though.
Vandy on SI caught up with Rocky Top Insider’s Ryan Schumpert to discuss the matchup and what the Commodores are up against over the weekend. Here’s what Schumpert says in regard to this weekend’s matchup.
1. How much does Tennessee still have to play for?
As far as this season and its postseason implications, very little. A nine-win regular season with a chance to earn a 10-win season in a bowl game is certainly nice but hard to believe that is much of a motivating factor for players. We wondered what Tennessee’s interest level and motivation would look like last week at Florida and the Vols came out and played inspired football and turned in their best performance of the season. The rivalry aspect and chance to end Vanderbilt’s College Football Playoff hopes should be enough to motivate this team. If not, Diego Pavia’s offseason comments should help.
2. Tennessee has yet to win against a ranked opponent, is that indicative of its talent level? What else do you attribute that to?
I don’t think I’d attribute it to the talent level. Tennessee’s schedule has played a part. The Vols have only played three ranked teams and they’re all ranked in the top 10 and projected to make the playoffs if they take care of business this weekend. But Tennessee had chances to win all three of those games, especially home matchups against Georgia and Oklahoma. The Vols have struggled to play complimentary football this season. The Vols failed to put the Georgia game away with a touchdown off of a fourth quarter fumble that set them up in plus-territory. The defense didn’t get the stop to seal the game and Max Gilbert misfired on the potential game-winning kick. Against Oklahoma, Tennessee turned it over three times in the first half and trailed 16-10 at halftime despite allowing only 99 yards of offense. This Tennessee team certainly isn’t extremely talented but they’ve also hurt themselves consistently in their three losses.
3. Has Joey Aguilar met expectations, exceeded them or fallen short?
Overall, Aguilar has exceeded expectations. Most didn’t know what to expect from the Appalachian State transfer after a rocky 2024 season in Boone and his summer arrival in Knoxville. But he looked comfortable in Josh Heupel’s offense from the jump. Aguilar has thrown the ball well down the field and in the intermediate. He also possesses a much better internal clock than Tennessee’s last two starting quarterbacks. Where Aguilar has met expectations and struggled is with turnovers. He came to Tennessee with the reputation as a turnover prone quarterback and that has reared its ugly head at times. Aguilar’s thrown 10 interceptions this season which doubles the previous Heupel-era season-high. He’s also fumbled it a handful of times.
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Tennessee’s defense?
The most obvious area is in the secondary where Tennessee’s top two returning corners have played just 19 snaps this season due to injury. Colorado transfer Colton Hood and true freshman Ty Redmond have done a solid job stepping it but it’s definitely been a step back. Tennessee’s safety play has often been woeful this season. Tennessee’s run defense struggled badly early in the season and gap integrity was a key deficiency, something Vanderbilt will be able to exploit. But the run defense has been much better the last month. The Commodores will test it more than most have the back half of the season though. Over the course of the season, Tennessee’s pass rush has probably been its biggest strength. They’ve had a knack for making big plays in big moments.
5. What do you view as the main keys for Tennessee in this game?
Winning on early downs on defense is a big one because of the success of the pass rush and the way Vanderbilt seems to excel in third-and-intermediate and third-and-short. Another big one is for the offense to just play clean football. I think they’re going to be able to move the ball on Vanderbilt’s defense. Can they avoid turnovers, drive killing penalties and finish drives with touchdowns?
6. Score prediction?
Tennessee 31, Vanderbilt 27
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Black Friday is right around the corner, and FOX 17 News is breaking down retailers open across the Midstate and their hours for shoppers who celebrate.
See our list of stores open and hours for Black Friday below (Listed in alphabetical order):
Bass Pro Shops
Open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Best Buy
Locations will open at 6 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
CoolSprings Galleria
Open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Costco
Locations will open at 10 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Locations will open at 6 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
Home Depot
Most locations to open at 6 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
Home Goods
Locations to open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
Kohl’s
Locations to open at 5 a.m. and close at 12 a.m.
Lowe’s
Locations will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.
Opry Mills
Open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Publix
Locations to open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
Rivergate Mall
The mall opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m.
Sam’s Club
Locations will open at 9 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Tanger Outlets
The outlets are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Target
Nashville locations will open at 6 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
The Mall at Green Hills
Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Trader Joe’s
Locations to open at 8 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.
Tractor Supply
Locations will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.
Walmart
Walmart locations in Nashville will open at 6 a.m. and close at 11 p.m.
LAS VEGAS – Tennessee basketball squandered a chance to finish 3-0 at the Players Era Festival and remain undefeated.
The No. 16 Vols (7-1) went away from what built their 12-point lead early in the second half, and Kansas (6-2) stormed back to win 81-76 in the third-place game at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Nov. 26.
Here’s what went wrong for Tennessee in its first loss of the season.
Tennessee settled for too many 3-pointers
Tennessee shot 28% on 25 attempts from 3-point range, and it settled for too many shots behind the arc in the second half.
The Vols shot 5-for-13 on 3-pointers in the first half, which wasn’t a bad mark considering Ja’Kobi Gillespie went an uncharacteristic 0-for-3 before halftime. But then they shot 2-for-12 in the second half, and they didn’t score at the rim enough.
“I told our post guys when they’re out there shooting jump shots, I’m sure (Kansas coach) Bill (Self) and his staff were sitting on the bench saying, good let them do it. Let him. We don’t want them in there,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “That goes back to where we didn’t follow the things we talked about and what we need guys to do.”
Barnes didn’t think all the 3-pointers were necessarily bad shots, but there were times they needed to drive the ball and get to the foul line when they were in the double bonus. Barnes believed the 22 free throw attempts would have been even with Kansas’ 30 if the Vols had tried to drive the ball more.
Vols let offensive struggles dictate defense in second half
Tennessee’s 12-point lead started to crumble when the Vols let their offensive struggles dictate their defense.
Kansas started chipping away when it grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession and hit a 3-pointer. Then Felix Okpara missed a jumper and Jaylen Carey sent Kansas to the free-throw line. Nate Ament then missed shots on two straight possessions and UT gave up a transition 3-pointer.
Then the Vols started fouling and gave up three and-one plays in an almost three-minute span. Tennessee missed another jumper shortly after and gave up three straight layups to Kansas for a 6-0 run to take a 68-64 lead.
“Second half, I thought they out-competed us when it counted,” Barnes said. “And that’s the hardest thing to take when they’re doing things that we could have done.”
Tennessee needs more from its starting frontcourt
Barnes wasn’t happy with the fact that Okpara and Cade Phillips didn’t have a single offensive rebound between them. The two starters in the frontcourt only combined for five rebounds total in a game that Tennessee got outrebounded 37-36.
The pair combined for 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, and Okpara went 3-for-4 on free throws.
Barnes said the Vols can’t put everything on Gillespie, who shot 1-for-10 on 3-pointers. Gillespie had a heavy load over three days, averaging 34.3 minutes, and he had some great looks that just didn’t fall.
“You look at the stat sheet, too many guys that honestly didn’t do the things that they need to do to help us win,” Barnes said.
Carey was a bright spot in Tennessee’s frontcourt with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. But Barnes believes he can be even better after shooting 3-for-6 on free throws.
“The guys that want to learn from this will do it,” Barnes said. “And they’ll get better and move forward, but it’s not going to get any easier, which is the way it should be.”
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
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