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BY CHRISTIAN BRYANT
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Tennessee Titans fans and Fantasy Football League owners can finally rejoice. Running back Chris Johnson has agreed to a 53 and a half million dollar extension with the Titans through the 2016 NFL season.
“Chris Johnson had two years left on his contract and now both sides get what they want. Johnson gets the average he was looking for, the guaranteed money he was looking for, and the Titans get him back now to Tennessee so he can begin to get ready for Tennessee Titans’ regular season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
Johnson’s new deal broke his 35-day holdout but why did the deal take so long?
“You can go back to the CBA and all the negotiating there and when did a deal really have to come together before you start losing, you know, tangible, actual, real things. And the actual, real thing here is week one of the NFL season and losing Chris Johnson and not having your best player on the field...”
During the holdout, Johnson didn’t hold back on this thoughts regarding the contract extension and his request for a more lucrative deal. He took to Twitter to let off steam. He blasted his critics saying,
“Can these fake Titan fans STFU on my timeline I don’t have a regular job so don’t compare me to you and I can care less if uthink I’m greedy”
He later clarified his twitter post by saying it was directed toward fake fans and he loves his real fans.
How will Johnson’s deal effect the rest of the league? NFL.com writer Steve Wyche suggests that Johnson’s deal is good news for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson as he approaches free agency. Wyche writes,
“The Vikings must pay Peterson because if they don't someone else will. He will be a free agent after the season and although running backs have lost their value because of their short shelf lives and the NFL now being a passing league, there are more than a few teams that would trip over their checkbooks in a scramble to sign Peterson.”
But Johnson’s prolonged holdout raises the question: Was he worth the money? Writer Brian Burke of Advanced NFL Stats goes on to question the importance of running backs in today’s game. He writes,
“Adrian Peterson is currently the highest paid RB, due to make $11 million this season, which is probably two to three times too much. RBs, and the running game in general, do not have the impact on wins and losses the same way the passing game does.”
Johnson has accumulated over 4 thousand 500 yards rushing, 1000 yards receiving and scored 38 touchdowns since his rookie season in 2008.
Transcript by Newsy.
