Tennessee Titans sign Cam Ward to four-year, $48.75-million rookie contract

The No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft has signed his rookie contract. Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans have agreed to a four-year, $48.75 million deal, according to a report from FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

The deal includes a $32.1 million signing bonus, so Ward will be well taken care of on the front end. Fitting for the top overall selection in the draft.

Cam Ward emerged as the top overall pick in the draft after a stellar season at Miami. He had previously played at both Washington State and Incarnate Word.

Ward finished his single season at Miami having been responsible for 43 touchdowns (39 passing) to go with 4,313 passing yards while finishing with the No. 1 QBR (88.8) in the country. In the 12 games that he played all four quarters, Ward threw for 300 yards or more in 10 of those matchups.

He had a couple of other stops along his college football journey before playing for Mario Cristobal in Coral Gables. He began his career playing for Incarnate Word at the FCS level, where he threw for nearly 7,000 yards and scored 61 touchdowns during first his two seasons there before transferring to Washington State ahead of the 2022 college football season.

Cam Ward ultimately spent two seasons with the Cougars. During his last season at Washington State, Ward completed 66.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,735 yards, with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

What NFL Draft analysts said about Cam Ward

Now that Cam Ward has been drafted, fans may be wondering what to expect from their new quarterback. NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein provided his analysis of the QB.

“Gunslinger with good size, a big arm and the mobility to help out his offensive line,” Zierlein wrote. “Ward can read the full field and operates with average decision-making and processing quickness. Like a shortstop, he rips sidearm rockets that fit into tight windows on all three levels, but his delivery and mechanics cause inconsistencies with placement and accuracy.

“He is fairly consistent regardless of the coverage scheme he sees, but figuring out disguised coverage on the pro level will take time, and it is not a given he will develop that skill. He looks to strike it rich with aggressive, vertical throws; for better efficiency, he needs to learn to mine for gold with combo reads and rhythm throws. While he has the ability to move the sticks with his legs, he’s more of a pocket passer than a dual-threat quarterback. Pocket mobility helps him extend and make plays out of structure, but the longer he’s off-schedule, the spottier his decision-making can get.

“With a patient plan and a nurturing offensive coordinator who can accentuate his physical tools while regulating the feast-or-famine elements of his play, Ward could become a good NFL starter inside of his first contract.”

On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this report.