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It has to involve a future first round pick!

That’s the consensus take on the possibility of the Tennessee Titans trading down from first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s a possibility they’re heavily weighing, and working hard in the coming days to be prepared to do. It feels extremely likely at this point that the Titans will either be taking Cam Ward at the beginning of the draft, or they’ll be trading down. That’s the choice being considered as we speak.

And that choice, of course, is contingent on what kind of trade offer comes their way. The most obvious and shamelessly interested team is the Giants, currently sitting with the 3rd pick. The Browns at 2, Raiders at 6, and Jets at 7 remain reasonable possibilities as well. Depending on how the free agency QB dominoes fall in the coming weeks, at least one of these teams may grow truly desperate to trade up for a QB.

When you look at the appropriate mathematical and historical trade compensation to trade down two spots to 3 (the leading rumor at present), It looks awfully attractive for a rebuilding Tennessee regime.

A future first and a pair of Day 2 picks? Unless Tennessee is truly in love with Ward, refusing to take that offer would be lunacy.

But no matter who you ask amongst Titans fans, they’ll tell you that future first is key. Haters of Cam Ward and lovers of Cam Ward alike are unwilling to sign-on to any deal that doesn’t include that future first.

Take my friend Mike Herndon here, who I apologize for including twice in this article. He’s just saying concisely what I’ve seen and heard more times than I can count:

I understand the sentiment. You don’t want your team to “settle” in a trade down just for a couple extra picks. You don’t want to listen to how you got fleeced on TV and radio for months. If you’re going to move, you want what you know the pick to be worth in return.

So why do we keep seeing smart people like Dane Brugler suggest that all it would take is a pair of Day 2 picks for the Giants to come up?!

Because I think under the right circumstances, the Titans should absolutely take that offer. They’d be making out like bandits in doing so.

I’m not saying they should take the first lowball offer they get, of course. But if the Titans

Are definitely OUT on taking Cam at 1
Have an offer to move to pick 2 or pick 3

Then they should happily take whatever their best haul is, no matter the offer.

Here’s the simple argument: the Titans find themselves with a very rare opportunity. They’re likely going to have a chance to turn the first overall pick into multiple top-100 picks and still draft one of the only two blue chip players in this draft class. They may even get their pick of the blue chippers, depending on if they move down to 2 or who Cleveland takes if they move to 3.

that’s just not an opportunity that comes around again. Taking one of the definitive best two players in the draft and getting multiple top-100 picks thrown in to sweeten the haul is robbery. It’s unheard of.

And yes, if you pass up a QB who ends up being awesome, it follows you forever. But the trade compensation involved is just a detail in the history books. What people remember is who you passed on. That’s a risk you run whether you’re getting somebody’s kingdom or relative pocket change in the trade.

So if the Titans aren’t going to pick Ward at 1 no matter what, they should take whatever they can get to move down a spot or two. To stick at 1 and pick Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter because you only got a pair of 2nd rounders offered to you would be hardheadedness. If your options are to stick and pick one of the studs, or trade for some serious draft capital and still draft one of the studs, take the trade! They’re free picks with practically zero downside risk!

Perhaps the argument against this is that the Titans could have one of Carter or Hunter graded significantly ahead of the other, making a move too risky. They can’t ensure they get their guy if they move down for scraps!

But do you really think they have them that far apart? I’d be surprised. And however far apart they are, is it more than the value of two top-100 picks in your pocket? I serious doubt it.

of course, all of this hinges on the Titans being out on Ward at 1, which is something I do not know. I know their initial meeting with him went quite well, and they view him as worthy of being in the discussion at the top of the draft. So none of this matters if they decide he’s their guy. But if they’re out, they should take what they’re offered and never look back.