Derrick Henry, with deal expiring, still wants 1 thing before Tennessee Titans career ends

Tyjae Spears thought he knew what was coming.

Everybody did, to be fair. The moment was too perfect. Inescapably, unavoidably perfect. The kind of full-circle event that feels cosmically ordained, foretold by the ancient oracles and prophets of old.

So there he was: Derrick Henry — the Derrick Henry — lumbering down the home sideline at Nissan Stadium after bursting his way into the open field and shrugging off would-be Jacksonville Jaguars tacklers. Defensive back Andre Cisco had an angle on him. But Henry had a free arm.

"I was looking for him to throw him," Spears said. "I was super excited for it. I had my hands up celebrating the touchdown and everything."

Visions of 2018 and the 99-yard run against the Jaguars that turned Henry from a Heisman Trophy winner with NFL potential into a bona fide NFL star with the meanest stiff arm this side of the actual Heisman Trophy danced in everyone's minds. But they didn't come true.

Henry slowed down and stuck out his arm. Cisco grasped at it and got into Henry's body, who had to settle for a 69-yard run down to the 4-yard line.

"I should’ve scored," Henry said with a smile after the game. "I’m getting old."

True as that may be, the now-30-year-old Henry looked like his 25-year-old self Sunday when the Tennessee Titans took down the Jaguars 28-20 to end the season for both teams. Henry carried 19 times for 153 yards and a touchdown, his first 150-yard game of the season but the 13th of his illustrious career and his fourth against the Jaguars, the team whose stadium he grew up in the shadow of in Yulee, Florida.

Viewed in a vacuum, this was just Henry being Henry. He broke tackles. He skated through tight spaces. He grinded and grinded and kept grinding until the Jaguars were sick of tackling him. He was great.

Viewed in context, though, this game was different. This was Henry's final game under his contract with the Titans. After eight seasons, 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns in a Titans uniform, Henry hits free agency in March. A King without his court for the first time in his career, Henry doesn't know what's coming next.

"I don’t know what it’s like," Henry said postgame. "This is the first time actually being a free agent. Just going to enjoy the time. Talk to guys across the league that have experienced this before, get some advice. Talk to my team. And then go from there."

Derrick Henry at the beginning of the end

Whether he wanted it this way or not, Sunday was all about Henry. Fans held homemade signs begging the Titans to retain their cornerstone player. Henry came out of the tunnel to ringing fanfare pregame, blowing kisses toward the stands at every turn.

By the end of the game, when the Titans lined up in victory formation to kneel and run out the clock, the "Henry! Henry!" chants spread to every corner of the stadium. More than an hour after the game, he was still in the parking lot signing autographs for fans patiently waiting to catch a glimpse of the star player.

Henry says he doesn't think of himself as one of the most accomplished or most beloved figures in Nashville sports history. If Sunday's reception was any indication, he'll have to rethink that.

So now comes the tough part: Is it time to start talking about Henry's time in Nashville in the past tense?

Henry says not exactly. Not yet at least. When asked if he'll consider returning to the Titans as an option in free agency, he talked about all that he has achieved, and the one thing he hasn't.

"Any player would like to play for one franchise their whole career," he said. "With us getting so close like we did and not finishing it, that’s always going to be in the back of your mind. I want to bring a Super Bowl here really bad. That’s one of my main goals. No matter how I do during the season, I just want to bring one here."

Henry offered a lengthy answer about what he thinks it'll take to get the Titans (6-11) back into Super Bowl contention. He talked about the lessons from the Titans' 2019-20 playoff run. About how teams need to be complete from the top of the roster to the bottom. About how players need to be held accountable and hold themselves accountable. About not taking losses too hard or being judgmental. About the value of leadership. About growth.

Henry is quick to admit he's not getting any younger. He wants to play for a team like that.

"I want a ring," Henry said. "I want to win a Super Bowl... I’m in Year 8 now. A Super Bowl is definitely my next goal. That’s what I want to get. Whenever that comes and however I have to evaluate to get closer to that, that’s what I’ll do."

Derrick Henry succumbs to a little nostalgia

Immediately after the game, Henry took a microphone and spoke directly to the fans.

"I just want to say thank you for the greatest eight years of my life," Henry said. "The ups and the downs, y’all have been there for everything. Through the adversity. Watched me grow as a person and as a player. Always supporting me. I love y’all."

Henry concedes it might've been easy to take those words for goodbye. He doesn't want them read that way. He just wanted to express a little gratitude. So he kept on doing just that.

Had Henry's postgame press conference been an acceptance speech at the Oscars, he would've had to fight through the play-off music five or six times. He thanked just about everyone in the Titans organization. By name. Seven members of the equipment staff. Two security personnel. Seven from the kitchen, including his avocado guy Bob Lopez. Three custodial staffers, who he thanked for taking care of the locker room even when it smells like the Nashville Zoo. Three more employees from the communications team. The social media whiz. The photographer. The in-house writer. All by name. All parts of Henry's life.

Finally, Henry came full circle and started talking about the 99-yard run. The play that started it all. The rush that kicked off Henry's unfathomable stretch where, over the next 43 games, he rushed for 5,089 yards and 50 touchdowns.

It's his favorite moment of his career, he admits. And he craved another just like it.

With about 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Titans lined up at their own 1-yard line. Visions of 2018 once again danced through everyone's heads, Henry's included.

But, once again, the moment was a little too perfect for history to repeat itself.

"I was sure hoping for it," Henry admitted. "I was looking. It just ain’t happen. But I’m happy with the way the game ended."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Derrick Henry wants one big thing to return to Tennessee Titans