NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are replacing four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry with Tony Pollard.
Pollard and the Titans agreed Monday to a $24 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because free agents can’t officially sign with new teams until Wednesday when the NFL's new league year begins.
The Titans drafted Tyjae Spears last season. Spears was the backup to Henry. The eight-year veteran, who turned 30 in January, is poised to hit free agency Wednesday for the first time in his career.
Pollard, 26, was a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2019 out of Memphis. He has had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Cowboys using the franchise tag on Pollard for the 2023 season.
The Cowboys declined to tag Pollard for a second straight season despite him running for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns. Pollard also had a career-high 55 receptions for 311 yards.
Pollard has 3,621 yards rushing in his career on 762 carries, averaging 4.8 per rush. He also has 176 receptions for 1,319 yards and five TDs.
Henry turned 30 in January. The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner led the NFL in carries with 280 and ranked second in rushing behind the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey in 2023. He's also one of only eight players to run for at least 2,000 yards in a season and is tied for 13th in NFL history with 90 rushing TDs.
He is just 508 yards shy of Eddie George's franchise rushing mark of 10,009 yards.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press