Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
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| | Paul Jasienski/Getty Images |
| | Albert Haynesworth is on pace to to meet incentives that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- They are undefeated and have high hopes they're going to make a Super Bowl run.
They aren't sure what's going to happen with Albert Haynesworth, their franchise player on track to meet an incentive which would put him on course for unrestricted free agency. They aren't sure what's going to happen at quarterback, where Kerry Collins is going to be a free agent and has said he's not eager to return to backup status.
Elsewhere, the Titans have done excellent work locking people up. Tackles Michael Roos and David Stewart and cornerback Cortland Finnegan got extensions before this season.
They'll want to do all they can to hold the core of the team together, and while the names heading for unrestricted free agency aren't huge, guys like safety Vincent Fuller, tight end Bo Scaife and kicker Rob Bironas have significant roles.
The Titans are having contract conversations with at least one of them.
Scaife's agent, Kevin D. Robinson, said he's had "some substantive negotiations" about an extension.
"I know they've talked a little bit, but between my agent and them, I just let them take care of that," Scaife said. "I'll just do everything I can out there. Sure, I would love to sign, I don't want to go anywhere, I love my team."
I asked, "Do you think they'll treat you right?"
"I don't know," he said, before laughing and mentioning players like Drew Bennett and Jacob Bell, who didn't get extensions and moved on as free agents. "History shows no. I want to be positive about the situation. I am glad we're winning. I understand it's a business and they're going to do what's best for the organization."
Fuller said he and his agent decided it was best to "play the season out and let them come to us."
The biggest potential free agent issue is Haynesworth, who's on track to be Defensive Player of the Year.
He negotiated incentives into his one-year deal as the Titans' franchise player that can prevent the team from tagging him again. If he stays healthy, he will meet more than one of the four conditions:
-- Make the Pro Bowl.
-- Play 60 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
-- Play 53 percent of the defensive snaps and the Titans win 10 games.
-- Play 53 percent of the defensive snaps and the Titans finish in the league's top five in total defense.
The Titans can't talk contract with Haynesworth until Dec. 29 and at that point they'll be preparing for the playoffs and he'll be roughly two months away from being able to test the market.
It sounds like Keith Bulluck, like me, expects Haynesworth will dip his tie in the free agent pool. Tennessee does well holding onto its own guys, but could be wary of going to a neighborhood where they'd likely have to make him the highest paid defensive player in the league.
"The Titans organization isn't the quickest to go to the checkbook, so we'll have to see," Bulluck said. "We'll just play this season out and I'm sure a lot of things will happen this offseason. But we'll worry about the offseason when we get there. You know what we're worried about now, right? Da' Bears."
Also heading for free agency for Tennessee: Chris Carr, Daniel Loper, Eric King, Justin McCareins, Brandon Jones, Reynaldo Hill and Chris Simms.
Kuharsky joined ESPN.com in 2008 after 12 years covering the Oilers/Titans and the NFL for The (Nashville) Tennessean. The New Jersey native and Columbia graduate lives in Nashville with his wife.
