Titans' Malik Willis downplays Ryan Tannehill's mentorship comments: 'Everything is cool'
The Titans selected Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis brushed off remarks from Ryan Tannehill about being a mentor on Friday as he started rookie minicamp.
Willis, who was selected by the Titans in the third round, is potentially the heir apparent to Tannehill. The veteran quarterback, who signed a four-year extension ahead of the 2020 season, has a possible out after the 2022 season, according to Spotrac.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liberty Flames quarterback Malik Willis warms up before the Orange game on Sept. 24, 2021, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
When asked about Tannehill’s remarks, Willis said it didn’t bother him.
"We chopped it up. It was never anything negative," Willis said, via ESPN. "Ryan's a good dude. Everything is cool. He had us over [to] the house the other day and gave us a little bit of game regarding what comes with this process."
Titans coach Mike Vrabel also praised Tannehill’s leadership and made clear that being a mentor wasn’t "his job."
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Liberty Flames quarterback Malik Willis breaks a tackle against the Ole Miss Rebels on Nov. 6, 2021, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"He was genuine, he was authentic. Everybody here knows he's a great teammate. That (mentoring) is not his job. His job is to prepare to help us win a bunch of games and be a great teammate and help out. That was not any sort of an issue for me," Vrabel said.
Tannehill drew ire from his remarks after the draft.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans jogs off the field after the Cincinnati Bengals playoff game at Nissan Stadium on Jan. 22, 2022 in Nashville. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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"That’s part of being in a quarterback room, in the same room. We’re competing against each other, we’re watching the same tape, we’re doing the same drills," Tannehill told reporters. "I don’t think it’s my job to mentor him, but if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing."