It came out this weekend that the Tennessee Titans would be picking up the fifth year option of star guard Peter Skoronski. This came as no surprise to anybody paying attention to the team, since a larger long-term deal has a long been expected to come at some point this year. Picking up his fifth year before the deadline ensures the team cost control in 2026 in the case that his long-term contract negotiations were to draw out longer, or fall apart entirely.

But make no mistake, the Titans intend on keeping Peter Skoronski around. He's exactly the kind of drafted-and-developed franchise cornerstone leader you want to publicly reward. Drafting and then retaining players like Skoronski is how Mike Borgonzi believes good teams are built for longevity, and it's obvious that he's right. But picking up a fifth year option isn't something the Tennessee Titans have done in a surprising amount of time.

Titans hope fifth year option is a sign of better things to come

Can you remember who the last first round pick was that the Titans actually picked up the fifth option on? It was Jeffery Simmons, drafted all the way back in 2019. A brutal stretch of first round picks that included Treylon Burks, Caleb Farley, and Isaiah Wilson were a significant part of the deterioration this team has experienced in the past half decade. Not only did those players not get their 5th year options picked up, but none of them lasted with the Titans anywhere close to the duration of the rookie contract.

Skoronski was the 11th overall pick in the 2023 draft, the first selection of then-GM Ran Carthon. Carthon's tenure was shockingly short, but some potential cornerstone players have been drafted by him and his successor Mike Borgonzi who the Titans hope join Skoronski as long-term foundational pieces.

Right tackle JC Latham is one. The trio of 2025 Day 3 pass catchers (Helm, Dike, and Ayomanor) is another. LB Cedric Gray, S Kevin Winston Jr, EDGE Femi Oladejo, and of course QB Cam Ward to hold it all together comprise the rest. If the Titans are going to right the ship of this flailing franchise, it starts with these young players. Skoronski, as the “elder” young leader, is hopefully just the first of many.