On Friday, we linked to an item from Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper regarding Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Haynesworth told McCormick that the Titans’ franchise player isn’t decided on whether he’ll be partcipating in the team’s offseason workout program.  But since no franchise player can participate in offseason workouts (voluntary or mandatory) unless and until he signs the tender, we concluded that Haynesworth either didn’t know that he can’t participate without signing the tender, or that he is thinking about signing the tender.

The answer came, we believe, between the lines of an e-mail we received earlier today from Haynesworth’s agent, Chad Speck.

“Albert is and has always been fully aware that he cannot participate in offseason workouts until he signs the franchise tender or executes a new long-term contract,” Speck wrote.

So the inescapable conclusion is that, if Haynesworth is thinking about participating in offseason workouts, he likewise is thinking about signing his tender.

Our guess is that Speck would like to persuade the Titans to agree that Haynesworth won’t be franchised again in 2009, if he reaches certain performance triggers and/or if the team wins a certain number of games.  Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel obtained such provisions when they signed their tenders deep into the 2007 preseason.