Titans should let Albert Haynesworth leave
By Mike Florio
Last week, soon-to-be free-agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth suggested that he won't give the Tennessee Titans a "hometown discount."
The news should prompt a deep sigh of relief in Nashville.
The Titans should be relieved because it means Haynesworth will hit the open market on February 27. Presumably, within 12 hours, he'll sign a contract worth more than $100 million to play for another team.
Then, the newly minted multi-multi-millionaire will be someone else's problem.
In the free-agency era, several defensive tackles have played exceptionally during their contract years, only to lose their fire after getting paid handsomely.
Daryl Gardener, for example, parlayed a one-year deal in D.C. into a huge contract with the Broncos, and he never contributed anything to Denver aside from a string of headaches.
Haynesworth, a Titans first-round draft pick, would have been considered a bust three years ago -- if anyone remembered he was still in the league. If fact, it wasn't until Haynesworth treated Cowboys center Andre Gurode's head like a block of Gouda that the tackle's name returned to the lips of most league observers.
The incident, which earned Haynesworth a five-game suspension (he arguably should have gone to jail), occurred in 2006. Haynesworth finished that season with 30 tackles and two sacks in eleven games.
Through five NFL seasons, he had only 9.5 sacks, an average of 1.9 per year.
In 2007, Haynesworth entered the final year of his rookie contract. Perhaps motivated by a half-decade of mediocrity and the lingering memories of his assault with a deadly weapon (i.e., his cleats), Haynesworth suddenly became a beast. In 13 games, he recorded six sacks, more than three times his prior per-season average.
In 2008, the Titans kept him around with the franchise tag -- and a promise not to use it again if he returned to the Pro Bowl. Haynesworth continued to play at a high level, winning his freedom.
In 14 games last season, Haynesworth recorded 8.5 sacks -- just one fewer than his total from his first five seasons.
The question for the Titans is this: After Haynesworth achieves tremendous financial security, will he revert to being the guy who stomped on an opponent's face? Even worse, will he lose the fire that drove him to channel his anger into back-to-back seasons that have made him the hottest free-agent commodity on defense?
Considering the money Haynesworth wants -- and considering some team will give it to him in order to build buzz, sell jerseys and move tickets for the upcoming season and beyond -- the best outcome for the Titans would be this: After offering to make Haynesworth the highest-paid defensive player in league history (placating the locals), he accepts an even bigger deal from another franchise.
Trying to make that happen would carry some risk for the Titans. Being set for life might cause Haynesworth to go soft if he stays in Tennessee, but if he leaves, he might find fresh motivation from a desire to prove that the Titans should have re-signed him.
Thus, if Haynesworth plays as well elsewhere -- or, even worse, if he takes his game to a new level with a new team -- the Titans will be criticized for not keeping him around.
Still, watching Haynesworth thrive with another franchise (such as the Lions, where former Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is the new head coach) would be better than paying him a king's ransom and seeing him revert to being just "a guy."
Especially if the "guy" in question loses his cool (again) when an opponent is on the ground without a helmet.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News.
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