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Ryan Tannehill has continued a controversial trend among NFL quarterbacks when it comes to helping the next generation. He recently made comments saying it was not his job to mentor rookie signal-caller Malik Willis, who was taken in the third round by the Tennessee Titans.
This has caused a stir and continues an NFL trend seen in the past with the likes of Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Joe Montana, and many others. So what is the deal?
Colin Cowherd recently brought up an interesting point about why NFL quarterbacks in particular may be openly against helping their successors.
"If you're a linebacker and there's nine on the team, and you're a veteran linebacker, would I be more inclined to go, 'listen, they can move me when I slow down, they can move me to the middle. I'm outside.' If I was a receiver, by the way. Yeah. And I'm a perimeter receiver and you're a slot receiver. You're not taking my job and I'm not taking yours."
He concluded, saying:
"As a quarterback would I feel differently helping develop? I think I would. That's an interesting point. I think I would.”
The point Cowherd makes is an intriguing one, as other positions do not deal with mentorship in the same way.
There are 32 starting quarterback jobs in the NFL. At any given time, 15-20 players may be securely set as a starter. This means these players are desperate to do whatever they can to hold onto that job.
Tannehill can be both the starter and a mentor
Veteran quarterbacks in particular know how fast an opportunity can fade away. Tannehill in particular saw the Miami Dolphins give up on him, which could have ended his starting career. Instead, he worked hard and beat out Marcus Mariota to earn the starting job in Tennessee. But for a moment, he must have feared it was all over.
The Titans using their third-round pick on Willis means they see some potential in the young man. This does not mean that Tannehill has any obligation to immediately surrender his role as a starter and focus on being a mentor.
There is a difference between not being a mentor and being a bad teammate. You can be the starter and a mentor. The two are not mutually exclusive. As long as Willis is in the film room and on the practice field alongside Tannehill, he is going to learn a lot.
Tennessee won the AFC South last year with a record of 12-5. They won the top seed in the AFC but fell 19-16 to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round. They aim not only to reclaim the division but push deep into the playoffs.
When the season kicks off, Tannehill will be 34 years old. The debate of whether this is old for a quarterback is for another time. It should not be surprising to him that the Titans are looking to the future, for that is what a sensible franchise would do.
The only course of action for Tannehill is to prove himself on the training pitch and the field in 2022. His future really does depend on it.
