Titans Give Chris Johnson A $2.5 Million Band-Aid

by August West on Jul 19, 2010 4:36 PM CDT in Tennessee Titans News

Crisis averted! CJ2K will be in camp on time, as the star running back and the Titans have agreed on an offer to revise his 2010 salary to a little over $2.5 million (via Schefter). First impressions are that it's a definite win for the Titans, who probably have the clips of our boy stating publicly he wanted seven times that amount running in their office with a Saved by the Bell laugh track behind it.

In the end (presuming this whole deal doesn't go to hell in a hand basket), CJ2K's hold-out made for more off-season fodder than it did for actual impact. He's already missed OTA's, but there was nothing to be gained by him being there. Plus, quite frankly, I'd rather him have a longer rest this off-season after the back-breaking load he carried last year. I fully expect Fisher to put on a show about running the hell out of CJ2K for the first few days of camp, then back off and let the man coast through as much of the preseason as can get away with.

But it's not that easy. As people file out of gramsey's hold-out bomb shelter and readjust to the sunlight, lets make sure we don't mistake this news for a fix. All this has done is delay the ugly part of a contract squabble for 8 months or so. If CJ2K has another year where he's clearly at least in the top 3 running backs in the game, and yo better be hoping he does just that, then he's going to demand one of the biggest contracts in league history. He should demand it, because he's earned it. And in the end I think the Titans will give it to him (for all the guff they take about being cheap, Bud Adams and Jeff Fisher bent over backwards to get McNair and George paid in their prime), but it may be an unpleasant process and it may go right up to the 23rd hour.

For today, though, lets just be happy that these two parties are happy, and get ready to watch one of the most dynamic running backs in NFL history suit up in the two-toned blue. Here's to hoping that 2010 is the year Chris Johnson become the latest legend in a city that's launched a lot of them over the years.

Tweet Comment 29 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

sweet

we got 50% of our offense back for two mill, nice deal i tink.

""The truth can be tuffer den the times, my reminda my peaple to shoulder" give thanks and praise!"

by Titan4Jah on Jul 19, 2010 4:43 PM CDT reply actions

correction:

All this has done is delay the ugly part of a contract squabble for 8 20 months or so.

aint gonna be no NFL in 2011. that’s when the owners will be busy sitting pretty on their Direct TV money and breaking the union’s back so that they cave to a similarly brutal CBA for 2012.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on Jul 19, 2010 4:44 PM CDT reply actions

The owners have the money for a lockout

but I don’t believe they have the gumption, and neither do the players. The doomsday rhetoric will get out of control next off-season, but like a certain half-faced DA of Gotham once said: the night is darkest just before the dawn.

Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager.

by August West on Jul 19, 2010 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions

i think the owners

are ruthless. if the players don’t cave early, it will be a lock out. labor almost always ends up losing in a strike, so i see no reason for the owners to give an inch.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on Jul 19, 2010 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm ready

to watch Keanu Reeves play for a season.

by numbertenox on Jul 19, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions 8 recs

If that's the case;

I’m ready to play TE for the Titans for any salary.

by titanwarrior1 on Jul 20, 2010 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions

How is this CBA brutal for the players?

They get over 60% of all the revenues off the top, no questions asked. It’s stuff like that the owners want to change, to the benefit of all the teams.

Big Cat Country, The #1 Jaguars blog on the net

by Jonathan Loesche on Jul 19, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Regarding giving CJ his rest:

I fully expect Fisher to put on a show about running the hell out of CJ2K for the first few days of camp, then back off and let the man coast through as much of the preseason as can get away with. bq.

Yup. The Titans should do what the Chargers did with LT. He shouldn’t take ANY snaps in preseason games, IMO.

by DoofusOfErasmus on Jul 19, 2010 4:48 PM CDT reply actions

Agree about snaps in preseason

CJ is an incredibly smart guy. He spends his offseasons working out independently to take the best care of himself possible; comes in for Camp to develop the on-field chemistry necessary for success, and then kicks ass during the season. If I were advising him I suggest threatening holdout if they play him in the preseason. There is no reason to put him on the field when the games don’t count.

If I hit a hole-in-one on this grand slam the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.

by jasonkylebates on Jul 19, 2010 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions

"CJ is an incredibly smart guy."

Easy does it.

"I am going to be 'Bo' regardless.’’

by Gway22 on Jul 20, 2010 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions

I expect they will ramp him up slowly prior to preseason

make sure his conditioning is ok before they run the hockey sticks out of him

i’m fine with him doing jack-diddily during pre-season. The only reason I can think of to put him in at all is to get him used to offensive line changes and vice versa.

by numbertenox on Jul 19, 2010 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

Exactly

And that can all be done in camp. No reason to put him on the field in a preseason game.

If I hit a hole-in-one on this grand slam the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.

by jasonkylebates on Jul 19, 2010 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Lets see what the rookies got

With Blount and Stafon and Ringer (though not a rookie but not guranteed the #2 spot either) lets see what we got. Sonic and Knuckles for CJ and Blount (get the joke?) or Johnson&Johnson? Need a nickname for CJ and Ringer though.

by Dagger22 on Jul 20, 2010 1:54 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd for Sega Genesis reference...

I miss Sonic….

"He is fast, but what I like about him is he looks like one of those track guys that actually knows how to run the ball and has good vision and patience. He is not just running at top speed. He knows when to use his speed, and he has some power and toughness, too.'' Barry Sanders about CJ2K
Dwight Howard >The Justice League of America

by Bonafidebrother on Jul 20, 2010 7:52 AM CDT up reply actions

Perfect nickname for CJ...Chris 'Sonic' Johnson

by TITANS 'n LAKERS FaN 4 Life on Jul 20, 2010 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions

they call kobe black mamba, so why not sonic for CJ?

by TITANS 'n LAKERS FaN 4 Life on Jul 20, 2010 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions

Interesting

Going to be interesting to see where all of this goes next off season. If I were the Titans, I wouldn’t offer CJ anything more than a 4 year deal, even if it meant having to shell out more guaranteed money. If he has to keep shouldering the load, the possibility of burnout and the “Off” switch clicking like it did with LT and Larry Johnson is very real.

Big Cat Country, The #1 Jaguars blog on the net

by Jonathan Loesche on Jul 19, 2010 4:50 PM CDT reply actions

Also I don't think the 'ugly situation' 20 months from now will be that ugly

Remember all parties involved are business professionals. Posturing is a huge part of any business negotiation. All we on the outside see is posturing. Behind closed doors, things are much, much different. Everything is going to work out fine for CJ and the Titans long-term. I can all but guarantee it.

If I hit a hole-in-one on this grand slam the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.

by jasonkylebates on Jul 19, 2010 4:59 PM CDT reply actions