Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected eighth overall by the Dolphins in the 2012 NFL draft.
In his first seven seasons, Tannehill served as the Dolphins' primary starter. He was traded to the Titans in 2019, becoming the starter midway through the season and leading the team to the AFC Championship Game. Tannehill was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year and received Pro Bowl honors. During his next two seasons, Tannehill helped the Titans clinch consecutive division titles. His final two years were marked by injuries, leading to his retirement after the 2023 season.
Early life Tannehill was born in Lubbock, Texas, and grew up in nearby Big Spring. He attended Big Spring High School, where he played football and basketball, and ran on the track and field team. Tannehill played 10 games as a defensive back as a sophomore. As a junior, he passed for 2,510 yards and rushed for 922 at quarterback. Tannehill took his team to the playoffs as a senior, passing for 1,258 yards and rushing for another 617. He had to miss two games due to a separated shoulder in the second game of his senior year. Tannehill also recorded three receptions for 62 yards and compiled a 39.2 punt average with a long of 84 yards as a senior. He earned second-team District 4-4A honors for both his junior and senior seasons. Tannehill left high school a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com.
In track and field, Tannehill competed in hurdling and jumping events. At the 2006 District 4-4A championships, he placed third in the 300 m hurdles (41.24 s) and earned a second-place finish in the triple jump event (13.19 m).
College career 2007
Tannehill redshirted his first season at Texas A&M University after turning down offers from the University of Houston, TCU, Tulsa, and UTEP.
2008
Before Tannehill's second season, Mike Sherman took over as head coach. In summer camp, Tannehill competed against veteran quarterback Stephen McGee and redshirt sophomore Jerrod Johnson for the starting quarterback position. He finished in third place behind starter Johnson and McGee. Sherman's offense utilizes three receivers and moved Tannehill to a wide receiver position.
In his fifth game, Tannehill posted a freshman school record of 210 yards on 12 catches. He recorded six receptions for 78 yards in the Iowa State game breaking the freshman school record for receptions and receiving yards. Tannehill finished his redshirt freshman season with 844 receiving yards, which was 11 yards shy of breaking Robert Ferguson's record set in 2000. Tannehill attempted only one pass as a quarterback the whole season.
Tannehill expressed his desire to become the starting quarterback at A&M: "I still think of myself as a quarterback; I still want to be a quarterback here at A&M. Hopefully that's the way it turns out. But if things don't happen that way, and Coach thinks I can better help being a receiver, then I guess I'm okay with that."
2009
During the 2009 offseason, Tannehill and Jerrod Johnson competed for the starting quarterback position; Johnson won the job.
Tannehill finished the 2009 season with a team-leading 46 receptions for 609 yards and four touchdowns. About 80% of his catches for the season were for first downs or touchdowns. Tannehill picked up All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors for his performance. Tannehill only took eight snaps as a quarterback for the entire season.
2010
Tannehill continued to play wide receiver during the first six games of the 2010 season. Over those six games, he made 11 receptions for 143 yards. Tannehill attempted four passes during the season opener.
Tannehill saw extensive action at quarterback during the Kansas game, splitting time with starter Jerrod Johnson. Tannehill finished completing 12-of-16 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns. In his first career start at quarterback, Tannehill led the Aggies to a 45–27 victory over Texas Tech while setting a school record with 449 passing yards. He also made a 33-yard pooch punt, his first career kick.
Tannehill quarterbacked the Aggies to a victory over No. 11 Oklahoma, which moved the team into the top 25. He helped the team maintain a ranking in the top 25 with victories over Baylor and No. 9 Nebraska. During the Nebraska game, Tannehill punted twice since the starter was injured. He and his team defeated Texas finishing the regular season. Tannehill was recognized with All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
2011
In 2011, Tannehill started all 13 games (including the bowl game) at quarterback for the Aggies and was the team captain. He threw for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. Tannehill completed 61.6% of his passes posting a quarterback rating of 133.2 while also recording three rushing touchdowns. On Thanksgiving Day, Tannehill lost the final game of the regular season to Texas A&M's rival, the University of Texas, the last time the teams played, until the 2024–25 season.
Tannehill finished his career at Texas A&M as a quarterback with 5,450 passing yards, 42 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions.
Professional career
Miami Dolphins 2012
The Miami Dolphins selected Tannehill eighth overall in the 2012 NFL draft. He was the first quarterback selected by the Dolphins in the first round since Dan Marino went 27th overall in 1983. Tannehill became the 17th starting quarterback by the Dolphins since Marino and only the third quarterback taken in the first round in franchise history after Hall of Famers Bob Griese and Marino. On July 28, 2012, Tannehill signed a four-year rookie contract with the Dolphins worth about $12.688 million, with a fifth-year option.
Tannehill was named the starting quarterback for the season opener against the Houston Texans. He finished the 30–10 road loss with 219 passing yards and three interceptions. Two of his three interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage by defensive end J. J. Watt. In response to Tannehill's performance, Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said, "We've (also) got to do a better job in (pass) protection, and at times the receivers have to protect the throw from the quarterback. So I would say, as is usually the case, there is a little bit of culpability across the board".
During Week 2, Tannehill improved dramatically in a 35–13 victory over the Oakland Raiders. He threw for 200 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions while also rushing for 14 yards and a touchdown. Tannehill seemed to fix his tipped ball problem by having no passes batted down in that game. By the end of Week 3, Tannehill had completed less than 53% of his passes and also had only one touchdown to four interceptions. Two weeks later against the Arizona Cardinals, Tannehill threw for 431 yards, surpassing the Dolphins' single-game record for most passing yards by a rookie quarterback set by Dan Marino in 1983. Tannehill's mark was one yard shy of the NFL's single-game passing-yard record by a rookie quarterback, set by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in 2011. Tannehill finished the 24–21 overtime road loss throwing for 431 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. During a Week 16 24–10 victory over the Buffalo Bills, he set a franchise record for longest run by a quarterback by rushing for 31 yards in a single play. The previous record was held by Pat White, who had a 30-yard run in 2009. Tannehill also became the fifth quarterback in team history to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season.
Tannehill went on to set franchise rookie records for passing yards (3,294), attempts (484), and completions (282) while throwing 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and rushing 49 times for 211 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and starts.
2013
Tannehill began his second season completing 24-of-38 passes for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the season-opening 23–10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. In the next game against the Indianapolis Colts, Tannehill threw for 319 yards for a touchdown, but was sacked five times and lost a fumble during the 24–20 road victory. The following week against the Atlanta Falcons, he recorded 236 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, but was sacked five times and lost a fumble in the 27–23 victory. Despite this, Tannehill led the Dolphins to a 3–0 start for the first time since 2002.
During a Week 4 38–17 road loss to the New Orleans Saints, Tannehill struggled, completing 22-of-35 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown, but also committed four team turnovers as he was intercepted thrice and lost a fumble. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, Tannehill had 307 passing yards and a touchdown, but was sacked six times during the 26–23 loss. Two weeks later against the Bills, he threw for 194 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions while losing a fumble and being sacked twice in the narrow 23–21 loss.
During a Week 8 against the New England Patriots, Tannehill had 192 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while losing a fumble and being sacked six times in the 27–17 road loss. In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tannehill completed 20-of-28 passes for 208 yards and rushed for a one-yard touchdown despite being sacked six times due to the tottering offensive line during the narrow 22–20 overtime victory. The following week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tannehill threw for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while being sacked twice in the 22–19 road loss.
During a Week 11 20–16 victory over the San Diego Chargers, Tannehill recorded 268 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception despite being sacked four times. Three weeks later against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he threw for 200 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in the 34–28 road victory. In the next game against the Patriots, Tannehill had his best game of the year, completing 25-of-37 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns during the 24–20 victory.
During Week 16 against the Bills, Tannehill followed up his best game with a lackluster performance, completing 10-of-27 passes for 82 yards and was sacked seven times in the 19–0 road loss. In the regular-season finale against the New York Jets, Tannehill had 204 passing yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions during the 20–7 loss. This was the only regular-season game where he was not sacked. The Dolphins finished with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs.
Tannehill finished his second professional season with 3,913 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions to go along with 40 carries for 238 yards and a touchdown in 16 games and starts.
2014
Mike Sherman was the Dolphins' offensive coordinator in Tannehill's first two NFL seasons, and was the head coach at Texas A&M when Tannehill played there. However, during the 2014 offseason, the Dolphins hired new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, giving Tannehill a new playbook to learn for the first time since high school.
During the season-opening 33–20 victory over the Patriots, Tannehill threw for 178 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The Dolphins then went 6–7 over their next 13 games. In the penultimate game of the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings, Tannehill had a season-high 396 passing yards, four touchdowns, and an interception during the narrow 37–35 victory. The Dolphins lost the regular season finale to the Jets to finish 8–8 and missed the playoffs.
Tannehill finished the 2014 season with 4,045 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to go along with 56 carries for 311 yards and a touchdown in 16 games and starts.
2015
On May 18, 2015, Tannehill signed a six-year, $96 million contract extension with the Dolphins through the 2020 season, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2021.