Taylor Lewan deserves a payday: A look at contract numbers and the case for and against a holdout
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Taylor Lewan is in line for a big contract, and since it didn’t seem imminent he skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp in June.
Now the big story is whether he will report with the Titans veterans on Wednesday and practice Thursday or if he will stay away.
I don’t think there have been very extensive talks, and unless things have really picked up, a new deal by then seems unlikely.
The Titans have other big contracts on the not-so-distant horizon: Marcus Mariota is under contract through 2019. Kevin Byard’s been All-Pro and he’s heading into his third year of a four-year deal. Jack Conklin’s been All-Pro and he’s heading into his third year but the team will have a fifth-year option and is under team control through 2020.
But the pressing issue now is Lewan, who’s really grown into just what Ruston Webster envisioned when picking him 11th overall out of Michigan in 2014: A rugged, high-energy player whose excellent athleticism allows him to pass protect and run block with equal aplomb.
He’s the Titans’ swagger guy, a model for how to mature during your first deal if you, in fact, need some time.
If the sides don’t reach a new agreement by the start of the 2019 NFL calendar year next March, the Titans could put the franchise tag on Lewan.
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