Tony Pollard Trade Rumors: Titans May Have Missed Their Chance to Cash In on RB
The Tennessee Titans had something other teams wanted before the NFL trade deadline. They also had a price they were not willing to lower. Now the decision looks more complicated.
Titans May Have Missed Their Chance with the Tony Pollard Trade Rumors
Tony Pollard drew interest from the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos, according to ESPN. Both teams had also been linked to Jonathan Taylor. The Titans wanted at least a third-round pick for Pollard. No team met that price.
The interest made sense. Pollard was one of the most discussed running backs on the market, and the top landing spots for the Titans running back pointed to teams with obvious backfield needs.
Titans Had a Valuable Trade Chip
The Titans had a good reason to ask for a third-round pick. Pollard entered the deadline playing some of his best football since joining the Titans.
Through eight games, he has 595 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 133 carries. He averages 4.5 yards per carry and has three runs of at least 20 yards. His 595 yards rank sixth among NFL running backs.
His recent production makes the decision harder to judge. Pollard rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. He followed that with 117 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.
That stretch gave the Titans a chance to sell a productive starting running back to teams trying to improve for the second half of the season. The Titans did not get the return they wanted.
The Titans were not alone in weighing deadline moves. Around the AFC South, several teams had a case to sell, and one trade for every AFC South team showed how active the market could be.
Tony Pollard Could Cost More Next Year
The bigger problem for the Titans is what happens next.
Pollard is in the final year of his contract. He is also on pace for 1,190 rushing yards, which would be the best rushing season of his career. That projection is based on 595 yards through eight games.
Pollard has already produced three straight 1,000-yard seasons since becoming a full-time starter. He had 1,005 yards for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023, then 1,079 in his first season with the Titans and 1,082 in 2025.
That creates a strange situation for the Titans. They wanted a third-round pick for a player who could leave in March. No team gave it to them. If Pollard keeps running well, the Titans may have to pay more to keep him or watch him leave after getting nothing close to the trade return they wanted.
Packers and Broncos Had a Reason to Look
The Packers and Broncos had a reason to check on Pollard. Both teams had also looked at Taylor, showing that running back help was a concern for them before the deadline.
The Packers’ interest was not a surprise. They had been searching for backfield help for weeks, and the running backs the Packers should target included veteran options capable of helping immediately.
The Broncos’ interest in Taylor fit a similar pattern, and the top landing spots for Taylor made it clear why teams with playoff hopes were calling.
That does not mean either team believed Pollard was worth a third-round pick. It means there was a market for his services. The Titans simply did not find a buyer willing to meet their number.
That distinction matters. The Titans were not wrong to value Pollard highly. But a rebuilding team has to weigh the value of a player against the value of the draft pick it could receive for him.
The Titans are 1-7 and Pollard is one of their most productive offensive players. They have 796 rushing yards as a team through eight games, with Pollard accounting for 595 of them.
That makes him useful for the offense. It also makes the missed trade opportunity harder to ignore.
Titans Now Have to Live With It
There is still a path for the Titans to make the decision look right.
If Pollard stays healthy, finishes the season strongly and helps the Titans build around their young roster, keeping him can be defended. A productive running back can also help a young quarterback and prevent an offense from becoming one-dimensional.
But again, the Titans are already 1-7. They are not one player away from contending.
That is why the third-round price matters. The Titans had an opportunity to turn one productive season from Pollard into another draft asset. Instead, they kept the player and accepted the risk that his value could disappear when free agency begins.
The Last Word
The Pollard trade rumors leave the Titans with a decision that may become harder to defend if he keeps producing. Pollard is on pace for the best rushing season of his career, and the Titans already know other teams valued him enough to check on a deal. The problem was the price. The Titans wanted a third-round pick and did not get it.
Now Pollard can finish the season with the Titans and enter free agency in March. If he reaches another 1,000-yard season, his next contract could cost more than the Titans expected. The Titans chose to keep a proven player rather than take a lower offer. That may work out, but the burden now falls on Pollard’s production to make the decision worthwhile.
Main Image: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
