When the Tennessee Titans acquired quarterback Ryan Tannehill in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in March, few had expectations that he might lead his new organization to a 9-7 regular season record and a berth in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Although the Titans' magical run came to an end with a 35-24 loss Sunday, fans in Tennessee are starting to believe they may have found the answer to their long-unanswered quarterback riddle.

Tannehill, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, was not ready to address his future after Sunday's loss.

"I'll have to take a step back and look at things here in the offseason," Tannehill said, via a video from Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean. "Obviously, I love this team. I love what this team was able to accomplish. I have a lot of love for the guys on this team and love playing with them. I will take a step back and look at that. But right now, I just really can't think of anything but how close we were and this loss."

The former No. 8 overall selection out of Texas A&M is potentially in line for a big payday. After getting off to a 2-4 start, Tennessee elected to bench Marcus Mariota in favor of Tannehill in Week 7. The 31 year old completed 201 of 286 passes for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season. Tannehill also had 43 carries for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Following the season, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player by the Pro Football Writer's Association awards were bestowed upon him. The Texas native had appeared in just one playoff game over the course of seven seasons with Miami. In his first season with Tennessee, he appeared in three.

If the two parties are unable to agree on a contract extension, the Titans could utilize the franchise or transition tags, both of which are on the table due to the league's expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement.

CBS Sports' Joel Corry also wrote that Tannehill was the 'Most Valuable Acquisition' of 2019 in his annual Contract Awards.

Running back Derrick Henry, cornerback Logan Ryan and offensive tackle Jack Conklin are other free agents requiring the team's attention this offseason.

Tom Brady (Patriots), Drew Brees (Saints), Eli Manning (Giants), Philip Rivers (Chargers), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers), Teddy Bridgewater (Saints) and Dak Prescott (Cowboys) are all slated to join Tannehill in unrestricted free agency.