Chidobe Awuzie, one of the higher priced free agent signings of 2024, has been released by the Titans just one year after inking a three year, $36 million contract with the Titans last March. The move seems to be salary related as the team’s decision to release him today prevented another $3.98 million in salary from becoming fulling guaranteed. The Titans still will owe him $7.51 million which was guaranteed at signing last year.

Usually when you see moves like this it indicates that the team was trying to get the player to waive the vesting guaranteed salary and take a pay cut with perhaps the chance to earn the money back via incentives. Releasing him will cost the Titans $12.51 million on the cap and they will only save $1.5 million in cap space. They could consider making him a post June 1 release, but the Titans are flush with cap room so that do not need to do that. If they did use the June 1 they would save $4 million this year and take a $2.5 million cap charge in 2026.

Awuzie only appeared in 8 games last season having spent a good chunk of the season on IR. It was the 3rd time in the last five years he had played in just 8 games. Since the Titans owe him so much money he will likely signed elsewhere for the minimum likely picking a destination that gives him the best chance to win and enter free agency in 2026 in a better position.