Eddie George Says Henry Worth More Than Stats

Tennessee's all-time leading rusher says Christian McCaffrey's recent extension should serve as a guide in negotiations with the 2019 rushing champion

Pay the man.

In essence, that is what Eddie George told The Athletic in regard ongoing negotiations between Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans.

In a story published Friday, George was unequivocal in his belief that the recent record-setting contract signed by Carolina’s Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey should serve as a guide for the Titans and Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2019. Never mind that has had more receptions each of his three NFL seasons (80 in 2017, 107 in 2018, 116 in 2019) than Henry has had in his entire four-year career (57).

McCaffrey, who also has rushed for better than 1,000 yards each of the last two years, recently agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal that makes him the highest-paid running back, in terms of average annual salary, in NFL history.

“I think that Christian McCaffrey’s deal certainly opens up the eyes of people around the league in terms of what Derrick’s value is,” George, the Titans’ all-time leading rusher, told The Athletic. “When you compare the two backs, they’re two completely different running backs. McCaffrey is a Swiss Army knife. He’s reminiscent of Marshall Faulk in terms of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and do so much for your offense.

“But Derrick is the heart and soul of the Titans. They don’t make that playoff run without him. He led them to the brink of a Super Bowl berth. When you look at what Christian did from a running back perspective, productivity-wise, that was outstanding. But when it equates to wins and a team, it’s not comparable. So, where do you value that? At what point do you value the running back and say, ‘Man, Derrick is not just a running back — he is the heart and soul of the team and needs to be compensated as such’?”

Henry has signed the one-year, non-exclusive franchise tender the team used to retain his rights this offseason.

That means he will earn $10.278 million this season, unless the sides can agree to a long-term deal. They have until July 15 to do so. After that, he will be locked into the one-year contract – and the issue of how much – and for how long – Henry should be paid will return in 2021.

“I could see a deal similar or a little more than Christian McCaffrey, making Derrick the highest-paid running back in the league,” George told The Athletic. “… You have to look at Derrick’s history. He doesn’t have a lot of tread off the tire. He’s just getting started. There’s tremendous upside, in my opinion, for what he can do, both on the field, certainly, and as a face of the franchise, something they’ve been trying to establish for a long time. So I think it can be a win-win across the board if they play it right.”