It didn't take long for Eric Decker to find a new team. After making just one visit during his brief free agency, Decker has decided to head for Tennessee.
The Titans announced on Sunday that they've agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the free agent receiver. Decker's wife, Jessie, seemed pretty excited about the news.
Happy Father's Day and CONGRATS to the new TENNESSEE @Titans player @EricDecker87 !! We love you daddy and so excited for the new chapter!! pic.twitter.com/tCcXZ9v8ci
— Jessie James Decker (@JessieJDecker) June 19, 2017
The move by the Titans comes just five days after Decker visited Tennessee in a meet-and-greet that obviously went well for both sides. At the time of the visit, Titans coach Mike Mularkey said that the team wanted to make sure the receiver was healthy.
"We brought him in, and I talked to him this morning for about 25 minutes," Mularkey said on Wednesday. "I got a chance to meet him; I'd never met him. It's similar to a draft (visit), when you do the top-30 visits, it's a similar situation. You get a chance to meet them and do a physical. The whole visit was to get to know him, and make sure he is healthy."
The reason the Titans had to diligently check out Decker's health is because he struggled with injuries during the 2016 season. The 30-year-old wide receiver was banged up for most of the year and only played in a total of three games with the Jets before being placed on injured reserve in October.
Over the past nine months, Decker has undergone surgery on both his hip and his shoulder. If he's healthy, Decker should be able to contribute right away in Tennessee's offense.
The one thing the Titans have been missing recently is an established veteran receiver, and Decker would fill that role perfectly. The Titans already have a strong rushing attack (with DeMarco Murray and Derek Henry), along with one of the best tight ends in the game in Delanie Walker. Now, Marcus Mariota is going to have another weapon in what should be a potent Titans offense.
The good news for the Titans is that when Decker's healthy, he produces: The receiver caught 74 or more passes for four straight seasons between 2012 and 2015. That span also included a total of 41 receiving touchdowns, which is an average of just over 10 touchdowns per year.
The other upside to adding Decker is that he should be able to help bring along the Titans' young receiving corps. The Titans' young group includes two receivers that were taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. Although the team expects big things out of Corey Davis (selected fifth overall) and Taywan Taylor (selected 72nd overall), but neither player has played an NFL down. The addition of Decker gives the titans some breathing room in case either rookie has some trouble adjusting to the NFL.
Decker's signing comes less than one week after he was cut by the Jets. In New York, Decker was cut three years into a five-year, $36 million deal that he signed in March 2014. After only catching nine passes for the Jets last season, Decker and his $7.25 million base salary for 2017 became expendable in New York.
Before signing with the Jets prior the 2014 season, Decker spent the first four years of his career in Denver.
