Tennessee Titans Decline Former Alabama LB’s Fifth-Year Option
The Tennessee Titans informed fourth-year linebacker, Rashaan Evans, that his fifth-year option on his rookie deal will be declined this morning and instead an extension will be in the works, confirmed to The Tennessean by Evans' agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Evans, an inside linebacker out of Alabama, was drafted 22nd overall by Tennessee back in 2018 after a solid career for the Crimson Tide.
Evans is set to hit the market this offseason when his rookie contract expires, and had the Titans decided to pick up his fifth-year option, the young linebacker would be owed around $9 million in concordance with the league average at the position.
In his three years in Tennessee, Evans has shown flashes of being a great linebacker. 2018 saw the rookie start seven games and rack up 53 tackles and a pass deflection. The following season looked to be a break out year for Evans, finishing with 111 tackles and 2.5 sacks, including a crucial goal line stand in the Titans upset playoff victory over the Patriots. 2020, however, saw Evans struggle mightily in pass coverage and lead the team in penalties, going so far as to be ejected in week one for punching a member of the Denver Broncos.
Despite being a stand-out player at Alabama, Evans has struggled to adjust to the fast paced NFL, and the dip in production last season shows it. With Tennessee potentially looking ahead to the future, selecting fellow SEC inside linebacker Monty Rice from Georgia in the third round of this year's draft, Evans's time in the two tone blue could be coming to an end soon if he can't get back to 2019 form.