Contract Details for Titans’ Signing of LB Azeez Al-Shaair Emerge

The Tennessee Titans have made a handful of signings in free agency so far, but to this point we have not heard the contract details for most of the signings. Now, we know the exact contract given to linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans have signed five free agents to this point, but exact details on contract terms have been murky. We got some clarity on at least one contract on Wednesday when Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweeted the exact number Al-Shaair will play on in 2023.

According to Pelissero, Al-Shaair will play on a one-year deal worth $6 million. This would rank Al-Shaair’s salary as the sixteenth highest among inside linebackers in the NFL. That seems high, but considering the deal is only for one season, it is hard to be upset about the financial aspect of the signing.

More contract details:#Titans signing LB Azeez Al-Shaiir to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million#Cardinals signing K Matt Prater to a two-year, $7.5M deal with $4M guaranteed

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 15, 2023

It is clear with this contract that the Titans aren’t looking to give out long-term contracts to jeopardize their financial future. It appears the Titans’ plan in free agency is to find players with talent who haven’t gotten a ton of opportunity to start in the past and Al-Shaair definitely checks that box.

Al-Shaair was a starter for the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, but took a backseat to Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw in 2022. Al-Shaair was fantastic in his lone season as a starter though. He put 102 tackles, with nine tackles for loss. Al-Shaair can defend the run, but also is not a liability in coverage.

The Titans’ linebacker situation was in disarray prior to the Al-Shaair signing. Only young players like Monty Rice, Jack Gibbens and Chance Campbell were on the roster. Even with the Titans reportedly signing linebacker Luke Gifford, the need for starting linebackers was still as pressing as before, as Gifford is much more of a special teams contributor than an actual linebacker you would want playing on defense.

Al-Shaair will be able to come in and have a great chance to obtain one of the starting linebacker spots, but if things don’t go well for Al-Shaair in Tennessee, the Titans aren’t locked in to any salary commitments going forward. Very smart set up for general manager Ran Carthon.

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