July 26, 2011

Will Chris Johnson Hold Out?

By - Kris Fletcher

Now that the lockout is officially over, it's time to get down to the everyday business aspect of the National Football League.

One thing I'm paying particularly close attention to is the Chris Johnson situation with the Tennessee Titans.

Photo by: Getty Images
Johnson has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons, and he set the single-season record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage in 2009.

I don't see him being content to play for his $800,000 base salary this year.

"He's clearly outplayed his rookie contract," Joel Segal, Johnson's agent, told the USA Today. "We're hoping for a new deal in the very near future. Chris and I have, at length, gone over every possible scenario, and we're prepared."

While Segal stopped short of saying Johnson will hold out, that could definitely be an option. Furthermore, if that's the route he takes, I can't really blame him. Every single player in the NFL is just one poorly placed hit away from their career being over, and since no contract is guaranteed, they've gotta get every dollar they can while they can still get it.

To me, Johnson holds all the leverage here. He's the Titans best overall player and pretty much the face of the franchise, so they really have no choice but to sign him to a lucrative deal. I suppose the only real question is, will they go about doing it the easy way, or the hard way?

4 comments:

  1. Doug JohnsJuly 26, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    He signed the contract, so he should honor it. All these guys that holdout get on my nerves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoshuaJuly 26, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    I see Doug's point, but I think Johnson really does deserve a contract more up to par with the better runningbacks in the league.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brian HarringtonJuly 26, 2011 at 10:50 PM

    Like his agent stated, he's by far outplayed the $800,000 he'll make this year. And he played last season because they agreed to resume contract talks this year. I've even heard people around here bring up trading him for top value at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kris FletcherJuly 27, 2011 at 1:18 AM

    It would be a catastrophically dumb move to trade him. Grant you, running backs are a dime a dozen in the NFL, and the easiest position on the field to draft a solid replacement for, but having said all that, Johnson is a pretty elite talent not even in his prime yet, so trading him shouldn't even be considered.

    ReplyDelete