Lewan has fun with new deal
NASHVILLE — Taylor Lewan had waited and planned for the day when the Tennessee Titans would reward him with a new multimillion-dollar contract.
So the quirky and gifted left tackle was ready when the team signed him Friday to a five-year, $80 million deal, making Lewan the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman.
Lewan came out to meet reporters flanked by his offensive line teammates as the theme song from “The Dukes of Hazzard” played, with Lewan wearing an all-white suit topped and a white cowboy hat, with a cigar in his mouth. Center Ben Jones even brought along Lewan’s stuffed beaver, Steve, a locker room decoration.
“I actually got the suit done like just a couple of days before camp and literally had no idea if I was going to sign or not,” Lewan said, “but might as well
be prepared.”
Why come out as Boss Hogg?
“We did a whole deal as a joke, but in all seriousness this is unbelievable,” Lewan said of his teammates. “You’re not going to find a better O-line room, that’s for sure.”
The Titans did not disclose specific terms, but according to multiple reports, Lewan will receive $50 million guaranteed. That tops the four-year, $62 million deal Nate Solder received from the New York Giants in March. The Titans and Lewan wrapped up negotiations before their second practice of training camp after talks progressed quickly enough that Lewan reported on time Wednesday.
The Pro Bowler skipped the mandatory minicamp in June because of stalled talks. Now he will average $16 million a year under the new deal as the team looks for its second straight postseason berth.
“I’m extremely happy to be part of this team for a few more years,” Lewan said, “and I think it’s going to be a special few years for all of us.”
First-year Titans coach Mike Vrabel thanked general manager Jon Robinson and his staff for wrapping up Lewan’s deal. Vrabel didn’t have a problem with Lewan’s colorful celebration.
“My job is make sure that they work on the field, and part of this process is having fun,” Vrabel said. “Part of becoming a team is having fun and working hard together and having fun together.”
Lewan, who turned 27 last weekend, was the 11th overall selection out of the University of Michigan in 2014. The 6-foot-7, 309-pounder had been due $9.34 million this season under the fifth-year option the Titans picked up last year. He has started 53 of 58 games, including every game the past two seasons, while protecting quarterback Marcus Mariota’s blind side.
Lewan’s new deal keeps the Tennessee starting offensive line intact for Vrabel. The only obvious remaining concern in the group concerns right tackle Jack Conklin, who is recovering from a torn ligament in his left knee. The injury happened during the Titans’ divisional playoff loss at New England in January.