Chris Johnson Will Report to Camp

Chris Johnson isn't getting the long-term deal he wanted, but he and the Tennessee Titans have agreed on a compromise deal that will get the star running back to training camp on time. According to NFL sources, the Titans will move up about $1.5 million of the $2.5 million in escalator bonuses Johnson is scheduled to get in 2012 as a result of his record-setting 2009 season and add it to his 2010 salary. He'll now make about $2 million between the escalators and his scheduled base salary of $550,000.




Johnson, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards and set an NFL single-season record for yards gained from scrimmage in 2009, held out of the team's offseason workout program as he made clear his desire for a new contract. The Titans told him they didn't feel it was right to be renegotiating signed deals after only two years, no matter how brilliant the second of those years was.



Last week, though, the Titans floated this compromise concept, designed to allay Johnson's concerns that his 2010 salary was too low for a player of his caliber while still sticking to their refusal to re-do deals after two years. According to the source, Johnson decided the compromise was good enough to get him to camp, though he continues to hold out hope that he and the team can negotiate a new contract.



According to the source, the length and value of Johnson's current contract will not change under the compromise. The only change is that $1.5 million will be moved up from 2012 and paid instead in 2010. Of course, if Johnson does eventually get his new deal, the money he's giving up in 2012 will be irrelevant, since that season would be incorporated into the new deal.



The resolution to the Johnson situation was first reported Monday afternoon by ProFootballTalk.com

Tennessee Titans & Pro Bowler Chris Johnson Agree To 2010 Accord

Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson and the Titans have agreed to a restructured deal, which still is not signed, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The agreement was first reported by Profootballtalk.com.



Chris Johnson
#28 RB
Tennessee Titans
2009 STATS
RUSH  YDS  TD  REC YDS TD

358      2006  14     50    503    2






 Both sides are reviewing the contract, which could be signed within the next 48 hours. Some of his maximum $2.5 million escalator will be moved forward, and no new years will be added to the deal, the source said.

"We're still talking through some issues," a source familiar with the process said Monday. "It's going to get done, but it's not done yet."

Johnson had said he would hold out from the Titans' training camp, which begins July 31, unless he received either a long-term deal or a short-term fix to his 2010 salary.

He had been scheduled to make $550,000 for the 2010 season.


The two-time Pro Bowler said earlier this offseason he wants to be the highest-paid offensive player in the NFL, a bold goal for a running back. The Titans have maintained that Johnson remains under contract for three more seasons thanks to the five-year, $12 million deal he signed after being drafted 24th overall out of East Carolina.

Johnson was named The Associated Press' Offensive Player of the Year last season after rushing for 2,006 yards.

In 2009, Johnson also set the single-season record for yards from scrimmage with 2,509. He became the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards and catch 500 yards in the same season.

He also became the first player in NFL history to rush for three touchdowns of 85 yards or longer in a career, which he did in one season. Through two seasons, Johnson ranks third in NFL history with 3,234 yards to start his career. Only Eric Dickerson (3,913) and Edgerrin James (3,262) ran for more in their first two seasons.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.