Receiver stuck with Titans’ deal even after Patriots’ push

By Teresa M. Walker
AP Pro Football Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For Adam Humphries, Tennessee has been a potential destination for months because of his Tampa Bay connection with Titans general manager Jon Robinson.

Not even a late push by the New England Patriots could sway him to walk away from his deal with the Titans.

Even considering how much success wide receivers like Humphries have enjoyed with the defending Super Bowl champs.

“Obviously, I’m a man of my word, and I’m going to keep my word there,” Humphries said Thursday. “But you know it’s tough, and it’s a big decision. And I mean it’s a decision that will impact me for the rest of my life. So I obviously took a lot of thought into that. … Once I committed to Tennessee, I was really excited to be a Titan and still am.”

The Titans introduced Humphries and new left guard Rodger Saffold to reporters Thursday after they signed their new contracts along with safety Kenny Vaccaro who agreed to his new deal staying with Tennessee on Monday.

Humphries said he weighed options between the teams after agreeing to terms with the Titans on a four-year deal worth approximately $36 million with $19 million guaranteed. He flew into Nashville on Wednesday night and signed Thursday before the news conference.

In the end, Humphries’ relationship with the Tennessee’s current GM helped the Titans seal the deal with a wide receiver whose numbers in both catches and yards have only improved in each of his first four NFL seasons. Robinson was Tampa Bay’s director of player personnel and a fan of Humphries when he came out of Clemson.

“He was one of the guys that kind of stood on the table for me there as a rookie tryout and just supporting me there,” Humphries said. “And you know when he got here, obviously you know they needed some help in the receiving room and you know hopefully I can come in the slot and you know be of help and help move the chains and help win some games.”

Humphries should be a major help to Marcus Mariota. The quarterback is going into his fifth season with the franchise which is trying to decide whether to sign him to a new deal and for how long. Humphries caught a career-high 76 passes last season as a slot receiver, giving Mariota another alternative to three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker under pressure.

The Titans hope Safford will help give Mariota time to find Humphries.

The guard brings bulk and experience to help protect Mariota after the Titans allowed 47 sacks last season. He’s 6-foot-5 and 323 pounds and has started 111 of 114 career games. He also loves to run block pushing people away, which should help Derrick Henry.

“I’ll be able to use my talents to be able to help them do that a little bit little bit more,” Saffold said. “I think that I do a great job of helping out especially on like double teams. And I think they will be able to open up really great lanes for Henry, we’ll be able to protect Mariota. I just feel like this is a good fit.”

Vaccaro likes the direction Tennessee is heading and how the Titans use him, so he opted to extend his stay in Nashville.

He joined the Titans last August after Johnathan Cyprien tore an ACL, and spent the weeks leading up to free agency retweeting fans praising him on Twitter, making it clear that he wanted to stay in Tennessee. Vaccaro said Tennessee is the first team allowing him to play as a true safety, lining up alongside Kevin Byard, after playing in passing situations in New Orleans where he was a first-round draft pick.

Vaccaro refused to make a prediction on how much better the Titans can be on defense with coordinator Dean Pees also back. The Titans ranked second in scoring defense and sixth against the pass. Vaccaro is very excited to see what he can do with an entire offseason with Tennessee and a secondary featuring Byard and cornerbacks Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler and Adoree Jackson.

Whatever happens, Vaccaro will be a big part of secondary coach Kerry Coombs’ plans.

“He said, ‘Your best football is ahead of you,’” Vaccaro said.

STEELERS SIGN WRS

Donte Moncrief can do the math in his head. Yet the newest Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has no plans to fill the void left by Antonio Brown.

“AB is one of the best if not the best ever,” Moncrief said on Thursday hours after signing a two-year deal with Pittsburgh. “You can’t try to be what he was. You can only be what you are.”

What Moncrief has been during his five-year career is dependable if not always prolific. A third-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 NFL draft, Moncrief brings 200 career receptions for 2,543 yards and 21 touchdowns to Pittsburgh, where he suddenly finds himself as the most experienced receiver in the room.

The 25-year-old wideout has played in 69 games for Indianapolis and Jacksonville. The group Moncrief joins — rising star JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Eli Rogers (re-signed to a two-year deal on Thursday) — has played in 74 career games combined.

Now, the player who was mentored by longtime Colts star Reggie Wayne finds himself in position to do the mentoring in Pittsburgh. Moncrief said the Steelers have a “great room,” and if he can be “the guy that pushes guy,” it’s a role he’ll gladly accept.

Pittsburgh does provide Moncrief with something he hasn’t enjoyed in recent seasons: stability at quarterback. In the last four years Moncrief has caught passes from Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Jacoby Brissett, Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler. Barring injury, there is no such uncertainty in Pittsburgh, where 37-year-old Ben Roethlisberger remains a part of the team’s long-term plans. Roethlisberger is entering the final season of his contract but is expected to sign an extension in the very near future.

That’s fine by Moncrief, who heard from Roethlisberger shortly after the deal was completed.

“He’s ready to get going, get some chemistry, lock in,” Moncrief said.

Moncrief’s arrival also gives him common ground with his father, Spencer. The elder Moncrief is a lifelong Steelers fan and told his son a month ago he had a feeling he would end up in Pittsburgh.

“I’m a Steeler now, so I guess we’re in the same boat,” Moncrief said.

Moncrief can play on both the outside and the inside, though his 6-foot-2 frame would seem to make him a perfect complement to the 6-1 Smith-Schuster, with the 5-11 Washington and the 5-10 Rogers working primarily in the slot. Not that it ultimately matters. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner showed in his first season that he will get creative with where his receivers line up in an effort to create the best matchup.

Moncrief has shown an ability to get downfield. He averaged 13.9 yards per catch playing for the Jaguars in 2018 and had a career-best 15.0 yards per reception during his final season with the Colts in 2017.

The numbers, however, don’t exactly line up with Brown’s historic production. The only player with six consecutive seasons of at least 100 catches is now playing in Oakland after a messy divorce that ended with Brown being shipped to the Raiders for a pair of draft picks.

Brown’s highly public fallout with the team following his benching in Week 17 created headlines for weeks. Moncrief ignored them and said everyone he talked to before officially joining the Steelers talked about the way the organization treats its players.

Pittsburgh prefers to take care of its own, and it did that again when it re-signed Rogers shortly before Moncrief’s deal became official. The 26-year-old Rogers made the team as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville. He spent most of 2018 recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in a playoff loss to Jacksonville 15 months ago. He returned to catch 12 passes for 79 yards in limited action.

Both Moncrief and Rogers will get a chance to face newly acquired cornerback Steven Nelson when the Steelers begin organized team activities in the spring. Nelson, who agreed to a three-year contract on Wednesday, picked off four passes for Kansas City in 2018, matching the total of Pittsburgh’s entire secondary.