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The Miami Dolphins traded quarterback Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans on Friday, sending their 2012 first-round pick and a 2019 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick. The Dolphins also agreed to pay $5 million of the $7 million base salary Tannehill is set to make after a contract restructuring.
The move saves the Dolphins $8 million against the salary cap this season, while freeing up the $25 million they would have owed Tannehill in 2020.
After the trade, Tannehill took to Twitter to send a message to Dolphins fans, his former teammates, and the organization.
Thank you to the fans, my teammates, and the Dolphins organization for the last seven years. I’ve experienced some of the greatest blessings of my life in South Florida, and also faced some challenges that made me the man I am today. Grateful for it all pic.twitter.com/XEuR6ZnzSJ
— Ryan Tannehill (@ryantannehill1) March 15, 2019
Tannehill, who is set to backup Titans starter Marcus Mariota for 2019 but has escalators in his new contract that could pay him up to $12 million if he meets minimum playing time and stats, also sent a message to his new fan base:
To the @Titans fans, I couldn’t be more excited to get to work! Always hear such great things about Nashville and cant wait to be a part of what the organization is building...let’s go!!! #TitanUp
— Ryan Tannehill (@ryantannehill1) March 15, 2019
Tannehill never had the success he, the team, and the fans wanted during his time in Miami, but he was never a player who gave anything less than his all. He did not miss a start, beginning in Week 1 as a rookie, until a knee injury late in 2016 cost him the final three games that year - plus the team’s only playoff appearance during his tenure - as well as all of the 2017 season. He also missed five games in 2018 due to a shoulder injury.
Tannehill finishes his time with the Dolphins third in passing yards (20,434), third in touchdowns (192), and third in interceptions (75). He is the best quarterback the Dolphins have had since Dan Marino retired, and, while plenty of fans have been frustrated by the lack of success from the Dolphins since Tannehill’s selection in 2012, Tannehill should be remembered for stabilizing the team, and giving everything he had at every practice and every game - even when he could not be on the field due to injuries.
Thank you, Tannehill. And, all the best - unless it hurts the Dolphins - with the Titans.