After eight seasons in the NFL, running back Derrick Henry is headed toward being a free agent for the first time when the league’s next fiscal year begins on March 13.

What is the former Alabama All-American looking for with his next contract?

“I want to be somewhere, whatever happens, that gives me the best shot of winning the Super Bowl,” Henry said during an appearance on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” episode released on Wednesday. “The business side is the business side. At the end of the day, it has to make sense. I’m just not going to accept anything at the same time, because it’s a long season. We put our bodies through a lot. But at the same time, I definitely want to be on a roster that can go out there and put ourselves in position and be able to win games and get in the playoffs and contend for a ring.”

Henry’s NFL home for all eight of his seasons has been the Tennessee Titans, who posted a 6-11 record in 2023. The Titans fired coach Mike Vrabel on Jan. 9 after six seasons with a 54-45 record and three playoff trips.

That also was the day that Henry recorded his “Bussin’ with the Boys” appearance and Tennessee general manager Ran Carthon said, “The door’s never closed” about Henry’s future with the Titans.

“I’m not saying it’s closed,” Henry said. “But I just feel like, like I said earlier, they’re going in a different direction. I feel like today definitely solidified that. And that’s OK. That happens. That’s the nature of the business. We want something to last forever. Nothing does, especially in this business. I’ll always be a Titan, even if I don’t come back.

“But at the end of the day, I want to win the Super Bowl, and wherever that is that gives me the best chance, that’s what I want to do. I don’t have no bad blood or feel no type of way if I’m not back. It’s just what was supposed to happen. The story’s already written. We’re all just living it.”

Henry said he found Vrabel’s firing “shocking.”

“I’m definitely surprised because the body of work that Vrabs has had since he’s been there,” Henry said. “Yeah, these last two years have been tough, but I feel like Vrabs is a great coach. He has a championship mentality. He’s a leader of men. He knows (how) to get the best out of his players.

“It’s different in the front office, the personnel that they have. Maybe they have a different vision. I’m not sure. I don’t know all the details. I would have thought he’d still be the coach. I thought they probably would just talk it out and make some adjustments as time went forward for the future of the organization. But it was shocking to me. I’m sure Vrabs will have plenty of opportunities or another opportunity somewhere down the road.”

After spending two seasons as DeMarco Murray’s backup, Henry became the Titans’ starting running back in 2018. Over the next five seasons, Tennessee went to the playoffs three times and entered the final game of the regular season with a chance to go in the other two seasons. The Titans had reached the postseason once in the previous nine seasons.

“I hope I left the fans with something they can smile about and be proud about,” Henry said. “I’m proud and happy that at some point they felt like they had some bragging rights for their team.”

RELATED: DERRICK HENRY BECOMES ALABAMA’S ALL-TIME NFL RUSHING LEADER

Henry said, “Everything’s got an expiration date,” but he doesn’t think his has arrived as an NFL running back, even though he’s shouldered the heaviest load in the league during his time as a starter.

Henry led the NFL in rushing attempts in four of the past five seasons, and he finished 10th in 2019 even though he missed nine games with a broken foot. He also finished first or second in the NFL in rushing yards four times during that span (placing ninth in 2019) and became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season in 2020.

“I ain’t done playing,” Henry said. “I ain’t even close to done playing. I still feel like I can run for another 2,000, but that’s for the future to tell.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.