Titans Gab

The Titans have agreed to a three-year contract with Will Witherspoon as they revamp revamping their linebacking corps. The $11 million deal was announced Wednesday. General manager Mike Reinfeldt says Witherspoon likely will play outside linebacker.

Tennessee’s two outside linebackers from 2009 were David Thornton, recovering from shoulder and pectoral surgery, and Keith Bulluck, an unrestricted free agent coming off a torn ACL. Witherspoon was released by the Philadelphia Eagles last week after being acquired from St. Louis in a trade last October.

Vince Young is getting his $4.25 million roster bonus from the Titans today according to the National Football Post:

The Tennessee Titans remain committed to Vince Young as their starting quarterback. Looking for proof? According to the Tennessean, the TItans are paying Young his $4.25 million roster bonus today.

Plus, he’s owed a $7.5 million base salary this year. Young’s agent, Major Adams, told the Tennessean that he doesn’t expect any changes to the deal. And Titans coach Jeff Fisher signaled at the NFL scouting combine that the team didn’t plan to address the contract.

It looks like the Titans are not going to make a big push to try and sign defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch before free agency hits on Friday, meaning that if the team wants him back, they are going to have to compete with other teams for him.

When free agency opens on Friday, the Titans plan to let defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch head into the market, banking that he won’t find a team willing to pay him handsomely. Vanden Bosch is coming off his third Pro Bowl season. There’s an appreciation for the way he plays the game and interested teams think he could be a good example for younger players.

Last season in 16 games he had 45 tackles and three sacks. He started his career with the Cardinals, playing three seasons there, and then he just wrapped up his 5th season with the Titans.

Pro Football Talk reports that it seems that the Titans want to try and keep linebacker Keith Bulluck:

Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt told agent Gary Wichard he wants Keith Bulluck to be a Titan in 2010, and Wichard told Reinfeldt he’ll keep in touch.

But Wichard indicated that he thinks Bulluck will have offers from a lot more teams than just the Titans.

“Keith Bulluck is a free agent a lot of teams would love to have. Where the final numbers end up, we’ll find that out eventually,” Wichard said. “But I have spoken to them and we are going to continue to talk throughout free agency. I spoke to Mike Reinfeldt and we are going to keep a open line of communication throughout the free agency process.”

Bulluck, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in December, previously said he thought he was done with the Titans. That may still be true, but the Titans want Bulluck to know that they want him back.

Indications are the Titans plan to go ahead and place a restricted tender on tight end Bo Scaife, even though it will cost them $4.9 million to do so this season. Terry McCormick of The Nashville City Paper says don’t rule out the possibility that the Titans could make the veteran tight end available for trade, if they are confident that Jared Cook and Craig Stevens can handle the load in 2010, or if they opt to re-sign Alge Crumpler, who is an unrestricted free agent. Scaife, 29, caught 45 passes for 440 yards and one touchdown last season for Tennessee.

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean reports that Titans punter Brett Kern said he hopes retired punter Craig Hentrich can return to the team as an assistant coach. “Hopefully he can come back as an assistant coach, just to be around and help out, to have another set of eyes,” Kern said. “He’d be great at it. I’d like to see it happen.”

The Tennessean reports that it looks as if the Titans will make tender offers to all their restricted free agents:

The Titans are expected to make tender offers to their restricted free agents – including defensive tackle Tony Brown, tight end Bo Scaife, linebacker Stephen Tulloch and running back LenDale White – but already have discussed a long-term deal with at least Brown. “The restricted players have all been productive guys for us,” general manager Mike Reinfeldt said. “But why would I say what we’re planning to do with them?” The Titans aren’t necessarily expected to be big spenders in free agency, however, and some teams already have said they plan to stick close to their current cap. “I think you approach it differently because there are different rules in play,” Reinfeldt said. “I wouldn’t speculate on how it all plays out.”

Nashville City Paper reports that the Titans are reaching out to the agent for Kyle Vanden Bosch:

After months of no activity, the Tennessee Titans have finally reached out to the agent for Kyle Vanden Bosch regarding the free agent defensive end. Tony Agnone, who represents Vanden Bosch, confirmed that Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt called him on Wednesday. The two sides had not had any talks regarding an extension for the veteran since before the 2009 season began. “Mike called me and we visited,” Agnone said. “It was nice to talk to Mike, and he just wanted to let me know that he likes Kyle very much.”

Pro Football Talk says that the new deal for guard Eugene Amano is more than $25 mil for five years:

On Monday the Tennessee Titans and guard Eugene Amano agreed to terms on a new contract, and today Amano signed that deal — a deal that’s valued at more than $25 million for five years.

Multiple reports say it’s a five-year contract worth more than $25 million, with $10.5 million guaranteed, although there is a slight discrepancy on the total value of the deal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Amano signed for five years and $26.25 million, while NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora is reporting that it’s a five-year, $25.7 million contract.

Amano will make $12 million in the first year of the contract and $18 million in the first three years of the deal.

La Canfora reports that Amano will receive a signing bonus of $7.25 million and base salaries of $5.265 million in 2010, $2.68 million in 2011, $3.18 million in 2012, $3.685 million in 2013 and $4.187 million in 2014.

Punter Craig Hentrich announced his retirement Wednesday after 17 NFL seasons. The 38-year-old Hentrich spent the past 12 seasons with the Tennessee Titans and was with Green Bay before that. For his career, he averaged 42.9 yards per punt on 1,150 attempts.

“I think overall it was a successful career and I wouldn’t trade a second of it,” Hentrich said in a statement released through the Titans. “Consistency is what I’ve tried to pride myself on my whole career.”

Hentrich is the last link to the Titans’ 1999 Super Bowl team, having been with the team since 1998.

He had contemplated retirement after the 2008 season, but changed his diet and exercise regimen and re-signed with Tennessee for the 2009 season. He averaged 46.9 yards per punt on nine kicks, but suffered a calf injury in the second game against Houston and finished the season on injured reserve.

“It’s just been a ton of injuries the last three or four years,” Hentrich said. “I think it’s just my body telling me it’s time to quit.

“I’ve been doing this for 17 years in the league and really 32 years of my life kicking footballs. I think my body is just tired.”