The Tennessee Titans have no plans to trade running back Tony Pollard before the November 10 deadline, Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday, October 11, even though the club is winless and Pollard is playing out the last year of his contract.
Several teams have already asked about the 29-year-old, and general manager Mike Borgonzi has told each of them that Pollard is not for sale, according to Pelissero. The report leaves one opening: Tennessee would still listen if a club made an offer too good to refuse. The Titans have not commented publicly.
The reasoning, as Pelissero described it, has little to do with the standings. Tennessee prizes the veteran’s leadership in the locker room and believes keeping him around is good for Cam Ward, the second-year quarterback who has struggled through the first month of the season.
Pollard plows his way in for the TD
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/3dpljP1pA7
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 4, 2026
A seller’s profile, a keeper’s role
On paper, Pollard looks like the kind of player a rebuilding team moves at the deadline. He is in the final season of a three-year, $21.75 million deal, carries a $6.74 million base salary in 2026 and will be a free agent in March. Earlier this month Adam Schefter listed him among the veterans who fit the profile of a deadline trade, and injuries at running back around the league have kept the phones ringing.
His production has dipped behind a struggling offense. Pollard has 221 yards and one touchdown on 54 carries through four games, an average of 4.1 per attempt. He arrived in 2026 having topped 1,000 rushing yards in three consecutive seasons, including 1,082 yards and five scores on 242 carries in 2025.
Behind him, the depth chart is thin on experience. Tyjae Spears, himself headed for free agency, and fifth-round rookie Nicholas Singleton have combined for just 22 carries this season, so a trade would have handed the backfield to two players who have barely been used.
An 0-4 start in Nashville
The Titans opened with losses of 23-10 to the New York Jets and 24-20 to the Philadelphia Eagles at home, then fell 12-7 at the New York Giants and 24-18 at Baltimore. Pollard scored his only touchdown of the season on a 3-yard run in the first quarter against the Ravens. Rookie receiver Carnell Tate, the fourth overall pick, had his best game in the same loss with nine catches for 145 yards.
What comes next
Tennessee hosts the Houston Texans, who are also 0-4, at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, October 11, at 1 p.m. EDT (Game Center). The Titans then visit the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 18, at 1 p.m. EDT. Follow the club on the Titans team page and every roster move on the transactions tracker.
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