The Tennessee Titans have added a free agent wide receiver, and one who Nashville area high school football fans should be plenty familiar with.
Five-year NFL veteran Van Jefferson will be signing with the Titans, a source confirmed to The Tennessean. The son of former Titans wide receiver coach Shawn Jefferson and a Ravenwood High School graduate, Jefferson most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s also spent time with the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons.
The best season of Jefferson’s career was in 2021 when he posted 802 yards and six touchdowns. Jefferson hasn’t caught more than 25 passes or put up 400 yards in any season since. Last year with the Steelers, Jefferson caught 24 passes for 276 yards and three scores.
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Jefferson joins Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks, Bryce Oliver and Jha’Quan Jackson in the Titans’ receiver room. Veteran Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is reportedly leaving the Titans to sign with the Miami Dolphins, and Tyler Boyd remains a free agent.
Van Jefferson signing: What NFL free agency move means for Tennessee Titans
Jefferson hasn’t produced like a No. 2 receiver in recent years, and the fact that the Titans are signing him doesn’t preclude the team from signing or drafting a true No. 2 option. Jefferson has spent a good chunk of his career lining up in the slot but is still primarily an outside option, giving the Titans some versatility.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the Jefferson signing is the ability he gives the team to use him as a short-yardage target. Almost two-thirds of his targets last season came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He was used more as an intermediate threat in his career year in 2021, but the Steelers used him in a more compact way.
It’s hard to imagine the Titans being done at wide receiver this offseason. Ridley returns as a bona fide No. 1, but there’s no one on this team who will draw attention away from Ridley or convince defenses they don’t need to double team him. If the Titans can find a shifty slot type or a true intermediate threat to pair with Ridley and Jefferson ― whether in free agency or via the draft ― it’ll be easier to feel good about the Titans’ perimeter options.
Tennessee Titans NFL free agency adds 2025
New additions:
- OT Dan Moore Jr. (per source)
- WR Van Jefferson (per source)
- S Xavier Woods (per source)
- P Johnny Hekker (per source)
- LB Cody Barton (per report)
Returning signees:
- DT Sebastian Joseph-Day (per source)
- DL Keondre Coburn
- LB Otis Reese IV
- LS Morgan Cox
- CB Darrell Baker Jr.
- S Mike Brown
- OL Andrew Rupcich
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
