Ryan Tannehill is finding himself in a much different position than he was in a year ago.
The former Texas A&M quarterback signed a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, an $118 million contract with $62 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
Tannehill had a big 2019 season after replacing Titans starter Marcus Mariota in a Week 6 game against Denver. Following the game, which ended in a 16-0 loss, Tannehill was named the starter, and he proceeded to lead the team to a 9-7 season record before a 35-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
After posting 2,742 passing yards with 22 touchdowns to six interceptions in the 2019-20 season, Tannehill was named to his first career Pro Bowl and was awarded Comeback Player of the Year honors by the Associated Press.
But his 2019 didn’t start out on such a high note.
Exactly a year before signing his new deal, Tannehill was traded to Tennessee on March 15, 2019, in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and a fourth-round selection in the 2020 Draft. He had spent seven seasons in Miami, though he spent the 2017 season on injured reserve recovering from a torn ACL sustained during the team’s first non-contact 11-on-11 practice of the season.
The Lubbock native played quarterback and wide receiver at A&M from 2007 to 2011, accumulating 5,450 passing yards, 42 touchdowns with 21 interceptions.
After losing the starting quarterback job to Stephen McGee and Jerrod Johnson his redshirt freshman year, Tannehill spent the 2008 season at wide receiver, where he broke A&M’s freshman receptions and receiving yards records with 39 and 583 respectively.
In 2009, after losing the starting signal caller role to Johnson again, Tannehill led the team in receptions with 46 for 609 yards and four touchdowns, for which he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
He earned the honor again in 2010, after 11 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown at wide receiver and 1,638 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions on 152-of-234 passing at quarterback.
Tannehill finally earned the starting quarterback job in 2011, posting 3,744 passing yards on 327-of-521 throwing, with 29 touchdowns to 15 interceptions.