Derrick Henry Says He'd 'Definitely' Like to Stay With Titans

Running back briefly addresses his pending free agency in Pro Bowl interview

NASHVILLE – Derrick Henry likely will have his pick of teams this offseason.

He made it clear Wednesday during Pro Bowl activities that he is willing to choose the Tennessee Titans, if circumstances allow.

“I’d definitely like to stay in Tennessee,” he told ESPN in a brief interview.

ESPN's @diannaESPN caught up with Titans RB Derrick Henry at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, and this is what he says about wanting to stay in Tennessee. #Titans pic.twitter.com/B5zLrjEaRT

— Kayla Anderson ✨ (@KaylaAndersonTV) January 22, 2020

Henry is a first-time Pro Bowler after having led the NFL in rushing during the 2019 season. His 1,540 yards were a career-high and 46 more than the runner-up, Cleveland’s Nick Chubb. He rushed for 959 yards (62.3 percent of his total) over the second half of the season.

The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner also has a chance to lead NFL in rushing for the postseason. With only Super Bowl LIV to be played, his 446 yards in three games are 168 more than San Francisco’s Raheem Mostert, who is second. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is third with 143 yards.

The last player to lead the NFL in rushing during the regular season and playoffs was Seattle’s Shaun Alexander in 2005.

A second-round pick by Tennessee in 2016, Henry’s rushing yards and attempts have increased every year of his career. With 303 carries in 2019 he is one of five running backs in franchise history to top 300 at least once. His yards total this season ranks fourth all-time in Titans/Houston Oilers history.

Henry already is fifth in franchise history with 3,833 career rushing yards and is fourth with 38 career rushing touchdowns.

He is one of nearly two dozen members of the 2019 Titans who are scheduled to become free agents in roughly two months.

“[I’ll just] get with my agent, figure things out and then see where we go from there,” he told ESPN.

Immediately following Sunday’s loss in the AFC Championship, the issue of Henry’s contract was raised. He declined to answer the question at that time and chose not to speak with local reporters Monday, when players cleaned out their lockers.

“I think there’s a lot of good things we can build off of,” he said Sunday. “I think this [season] is a big step in the right direction for this team and for this organization. … I love my teammates. I love the chemistry that we had throughout this whole season.”