NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Ken Whisenhunt might like Nashville. He might like the Tennessee Titans' roster. And he might have hit it off with Ruston Webster.

But in choosing the Titans over the Detroit Lions and becoming Tennessee's new head coach, Whisenhunt got $1 million more in annual salary than what Detroit offered, according to a source familiar with the offers.

Some Titans critics tend to regard the team as cheap. It's not a reasonable stance given they spent big to re-sign Chris Johnson in 2011 and they doled out over $100 million in free-agent contracts last year.

This is yet another bit of evidence that the Titans are willing to spend.