Potential showdown between Titans and Johnson?
As "T-Bone" is to George Costanza, "Every Coach's Dream" is to Titans running back Chris Johnson. However, Johnson could soon become a potential nightmare for the Titans.
Johnson, who became the sixth NFL player to rush for 2,000+ yards, is due to earn a base salary of only $550,000 in 2010. Yet he believes that he should be the league's highest-paid offensive player.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Johnson's "desire to get paid in a manner reflecting his abilities could quickly become one of the dominant story lines of the 2010 offseason." He also writes that Johnson "very possibly could" hold out of training camp.
Last year's turnaround in Tennessee coincided with Vince Young (8-2) replacing Kerry Collins (0-6) at quarterback. And although Young has matured quite a bit, it was Johnson's play down the stretch that was the primary reason for the improvement.
Johnson, the Titans' first-round draft pick in 2008, finished the season with 11 straight 100-yard games. In fact, the 1,538 rushing yards he accumulated during that 11-game span would have led the NFL in rushing by 122 yards over Steven Jackson of the Rams.
Despite having three years left on his contract, Johnson deserves to have his deal re-worked. That said, there is no way that a running back deserves to be highest-paid offensive player in the NFL.
Stay tuned...
