The lure of returning to the state where he is a college football legend was not enough.
And now the Tennessee Titans have to plan for the aftermath of missing out on Peyton Manning — as well as number of other free agents who could have provided the Titans with much needed help but signed elsewhere while the Titans pursued Manning.
When owner Bud Adams stepped in and publicly announced his desire to sign Manning, the Titans' most glaring need was that of a pass rusher. The Titans' 28 sacks last season ranked them second-to-last in the NFL.
In a statement, Adams expressed disappointment and said he thought Manning with the Titans "would be a perfect fit." Then he addressed where the team needs to go from here.
"Now that we move forward, I want our fans to know that our expectations haven't changed — winning a championship is still the goal," the 89-year-old said. "I like our quarterback situation moving forward, and we will continue to build the team through free agency and the draft with that goal in mind."
With the Titans slightly behind in free agency, they need to get moving in that area.
On Thursday, the top pass rusher on the market, Mario Williams, signed with Buffalo. On Friday, defensive end John Abraham, 33, one of the top sacks leaders of his era, re-signed with Atlanta. On Saturday, as the key members of the Titans' organization were watching Manning throw in Knoxville, the Titans lost 25-year-old defensive lineman Jason Jones to Seattle. That same day, former Miami Dolphins defensive end Kendall Langford signed with St. Louis, where former Titans coach Jeff Fisher is now running the show.
Jones had three sacks last season and 15.5 in his first four seasons with the Titans. Langford, 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, appears more of a run-stopper with 7.5 sacks in his four seasons.
Could the Titans have landed Williams? If they were prepared to shower the same kind of money on him as they were on Manning, possibly. Pro Football Talk reported Williams' contract is basically a two-year, $40-million deal with a team option for the last four years. Manning's contract will likely put him in the same neighborhood on an annual basis.
The Titans would have been able to afford either player; they entered free agency roughly $25 million under the cap. The Titans reportedly were interested in Abraham but, tied up by the Manning situation, were unable to get in on him in a serious way before the Falcons brought him back for three more years.
Should the Titans try to go the linebacker route to address their pass rush, Kamerion Wimbley could be an option for a defense that finished 18th overall last season and was overwhelmed in a 41-7 home loss to Houston that proved to be one of the crucial games of the season. Wimbley had seven sacks last season with Oakland and has 42.5 for his career.
New England defensive end Mark Anderson, 28, who had 10 sacks last season, will likely go to the top of the Titans' list, but it's a competitive situation. Anderson has visited the Titans, but he also visited Miami on Friday and reportedly has at least one other visit remaining. Under such circumstances, the Titans could win a bidding war, should they choose.
The Titans only have two defensive ends under contract and, picking 20th in the NFL Draft next month, they might get only the third-best pass-rushing prospect, according to some mock drafts.
On the offense, the Titans addressed a need by signing guard Steve Hutchinson on Thursday. Hutchinson has played 11 seasons and was said to be part of the effort to recruit Manning, as the two had formed a friendship at Pro Bowls over the years. The plus side of that signing is that Hutchinson also helps to strengthen the line, which the Titans figured to do, anyway.
One can imagine that the Titans won't have much to do in the way of mending fences with their two quarterbacks, Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker, who are set to compete for the starting job. Hasselbeck, who has played only one season for the franchise, is a veteran and has been around long enough to know how the NFL works. Coming off his rookie season, Locker is too young and doesn't have enough standing to get bent out of shape. He also seems to have a level head on his shoulders.
Adams' wild Vol chase ended up not being the spectacular splash that he wanted. Certainly, he excited the fan base with his bold move. Having missed out, Titans fans can only hope that the pursuit of Manning will not prove too costly.
