Titans save Chiefs in free agency with serious overpay to be reliably average at tackle | OneFootball

Nothing against Dan Moore. Seriously. We're just not entirely sure how he managed to work such magic on the open market at the start of the NFL's free agency tampering period.

While Kansas City Chiefs fans can breathe easy knowing that their favorite franchise was not the one that panicked and surrendered a $20 million annual salary to the former Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle, it's still tough to see a former Chiefs exec make such a move.

In case you missed the news, the Tennessee Titans signed Dan Moore to be the team's long-term left tackle with a four-year contract worth up to $82 million, with $50 million of that in guaranteed money.

The Chiefs were linked to Moore in rumors leading up to the start of the free agent frenzy, but the team came away with the similarly named Jaylon Moore, a former backup for the San Francisco 49ers who came at a much lower price point (2 years, $30 million).

Yeah, we're not sure how Dan Moore worked this market magic, but we're happy for him.

The Titans hired away Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi this offseason to oversee the next phase of the franchise's roster construction, and the signing of Moore is Borgonzi's first big move. Perhaps we shouldn't doubt Borgonzi's acumen so shortly after praising his hiring. However, the amount for Moore has raised eyebrows all over the NFL.

Moore was the starting left tackle for the Steelers for the last four years and has proven to be incredibly reliable. Perhaps that's more valuable than anyone on the outside realizes these days in an NFL where it's tough to find meaningful help up front, but $20M in AAV for such a long stretch is a king's ransom for a player who was discarded by the club that knew him most.

Remember this: the Steelers let a four-year starting left tackle who is still only 26 years old hit free agency without any rumored attempts to keep him. In fact, the Steelers utilized prime draft assets to remake themselves at the same position with back-to-back first-round selections (Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu).

There's no denying that the Titans have an established floor with Moore at the position, and that's definitely worth something. Moore should have expected plenty of security and decent money for his efforts, to be sure. But it's also clear the Titans had a bit of money to burn this offseason and a pitiful market in which to spend it.

It'll be intriguing to follow Borgonzi's overall plan with the Titans, but it sure seems like the team has paid handsomely for the chance to be reliably average at left tackle going forward.