Whisenhunt roots for eventual Locker contract dilemma

Good problems to have remain problems.  And Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt currently hopes that the team will have a full-blown problem after the 2014 season.
With the Titans opting not to pick up the fifth-year option on fourth-year quarterback Jake Locker, the team’s current starter enters a contract year.  And Whisenhunt hopes that Locker plays well enough to put the team in a delicate spot when it comes to extending his stay.
“I hope so,’’ Whisenhunt tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com regarding whether Locker is the team’s quarterback of the future.  “I feel good about what I see out here [in practice].  But you’re not getting hit out here either.  The question is, can you do all the right things when you’re about to get hit?”
For Locker, the question also is, can you get up after you get hit?
For the Titans, the question could become whether they’re willing to take a hit in the range of $17 million for 2015 if Locker plays well enough in 2014 to make the Titans want to keep him, since that would in turn create a market for his services elsewhere?  With the Titans unwilling to commit $14.66 million on an injury-only basis for 2015, it could be hard to cough up even more money if the light finally comes on for Locker.
Of course, it’s possible that the Titans already have concluded that Locker is merely the quarterback of the present, and that Whisenhunt doesn’t want to undermine that reality by saying, “No.  We’re done with the guy after this season.”

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Locker “felt really good” in return to field

Quarterback Jake Locker’s future with the Titans is a bit uncertain after the team decided not to exercise the 2015 option on his contract.
While it is unclear exactly what Locker might have to do to convince new coach Ken Whisenhunt, General Manager Ruston Webster and the rest of the Titans brass that he’s the right man for the long term, any argument will have to start with staying healthy. Locker’s had trouble doing that to this point in his NFL career, including the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2013 season in November.
For now, Locker’s healthy and he went through the first day of OTAs with the rest of the team on Tuesday. It was the first time he’s done team drills since last year’s injury.
“It felt really good. I felt really good moving around,” Locker said, via the Tennessean. “… I think that people heal differently. Some people heal faster, slower, whatever it is. I take pride in the fact that I’m going to do everything I can to exceed people’s expectations.”
Locker will also have plenty of mental work to do over the rest of the offseason as the Titans install Whisenhunt’s offense and he’ll need to be sharp in both areas to put forth the kind of performance he’ll need to convince the Titans to keep building their offense around him.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Josh Alper
Photo: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Titans unlikely to pick up option on Jake Locker

The Titans haven’t moved on from Chris Johnson yet, though it seems clear they want to.
But it appears they’re willing to roll the dice on Jake Locker for one more year, but maybe just one more.
According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean, the Titans are unlikely to pick up the fifth-year option on Locker’s rookie deal, which would cost $13 million for 2015.
Team CEO Tommy Smith had previously expressed confidence in Locker, but that appears to be a short-term proposal.
With a new coach coming in who didn’t draft Locker, the rope will be short. If he performs well this year, they’ll still have a chance to secure his services for the future.
But if they don’t use the reasonably priced option (at least compared for a franchise tag), then it’s clear this is the last make-or-break year for a talented player who has struggled to stay on the field.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Darin Gantt
Photo: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports