Chris Johnson Signs Extension

[Big Sexy]

Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans has ended his holdout and resigned with the Titans. The four year extension is worth $53 million with $30 million guaranteed. This makes CJ the highest paid running back in the league over DeAngelo Williams and one of the higher paid players in the league period. The Titans are a fairly awful team and they needed CJ to be even somewhat competitive. They may have overpaid a little but they've gotten him at a huge discount the last couple years so it all evens out. The Titans still won't be very good but now they can at least be respectable.

Thoughts on the deal? Too much? Too little? What does it do for the Titans?

 

[Blade3000]

I think that the Titans overpaid a little bit because better running backs(Adrian Peterson) have signed contracts for less money and more years and Chris Johnson is elite but he isn't the best running back in the league, so he shouldn't be the highest paid Running back in the league. Chris Johnson was also being a little selfish because he refused to play, which didn't make sense, as he still had two seasons on his contract. Maybe trading him would have been good as his value is higher than ever right now and the Titans would have gotten quality players and picks in return.

 

[Big Sexy]

I think that the Titans overpaid a little bit because better running backs(Adrian Peterson) have signed contracts for less money and more years

AP signed his contract a few years ago when the market value was less. He has a new contract coming up and I guarantee he will ask for around the same amount as Johnson. CJ is also signed until 2016, it was a 4 year extension on top of his 2 years left on his last contract.

and Chris Johnson is elite but he isn't the best running back in the league, so he shouldn't be the highest paid Running back in the league.

An argument can be made that he is the best. If he isn't the best, he is easily top three.

Chris Johnson was also being a little selfish because he refused to play, which didn't make sense, as he still had two seasons on his contract.

Selfish? The guy ran for over 2,000 yards in 2009 and in 2010 he was still only making around 2 mill a year. If he reported to training camp and tore his acl then the big pay day he deserved never would have came. The Titans should have given him this contract last season. It's there own fault the holdout happened.

Maybe trading him would have been good as his value is higher than ever right now and the Titans would have gotten quality players and picks in return.

Why would the Titans trade their only great offensive weapon?

 

[HiddenInPlainView]

Of course it's risky to give a running back this kind of money given the short career span of the position. But you can't blame Johnson for going for it. He is still young enough that he has some great years in front of him and has already run for over 2,000 yards once and in what alot of people considered a "down" year, he still had over 1,300! He probably would have been up near the 2,000 range again if the Titans had not been having to throw the ball so much because they were seemingly behind all the time. He has also remained relatively healthy as compared to the others who have signed big contracts such as Peterson, Gore, and Williams. Also this makes great sense in having a stud running back when they will be handing the offense over to a young Jake Locker in the coming years.

 

[Sully]

I think Tennessee found a good deal here, they have Chris Johnson who is currently one of the best running backs in the league right now, and the clinched him for four years.

Now in this time, they'll be able to decided if Chris Johnson is worth a long term, high paying contract. Many running backs...are short lived. Chris Johnson will be 29 when that contract runs up, and the average decline age for halfbacks is usually around the age of 30. This way Tennessee can determine is C. Johnson will be able to go longer, or if they decided he isn't worth the money he wants and cut him.

I would've actually tried and signed the contract for five years instead of four, just so you can have that extra year to make up your mind on how Johnson is going to be playing when he's 31.