Chris Johnson has been mentioned in trade rumors all offseason and now things are starting to heat up for the Titans and teams like the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons could be in the mix to pull off a trade for the Tennessee running back.
Johnson has been upset with his contract for some time (what else is new) and with the Titans wanting him to take a pay cut from his $8 million a year salary, it looks like the two sides are heading for a divorce, whether it be a trade or a release. According to Pro Football Talk, the trade market for Johnson is "heating up" and teams are starting to line up looking for a deal and while none were mentioned explicitly, only certain teams could be in the mix due to money and the likely draft picks that it will cost.
The report says that Johnson is getting attention from multiple teams and it also says that the Titans are in no rush because Johnson is currently not owed any money that will pay out this spring in bonuses or guaranteed money and that means they have no deadline to release him either. That was why the Darrelle Revis move happened so fast, because the Buccaneers owed him guaranteed money in his contract and did not want to pay. Johnson is looking to get with another team after his years with the Titans and he has been asking for more money every year since his 2,000 yard season and that seems to be his biggest selling point on himself.
Johnson is owed $8 million this season and he is coming off his worst career year after going for just 3.9 yards per carry and while he has had over 1,000 yards in every year he has been in the league, 2013 was his second lowest total. Over his career Johnson has scored 50 touchdowns, but 12 of those have come in the past two seasons after he scored 14 and 11 in 2009 and 2010 and that second year in 2009 was his best, as he averaged well over five yards per carry while rushing for 2,006 yards. Any team that picks up Johnson will be looking towards that season as bar for how they want him to perform and he has shown that he can be effective out of the backfield as well, catching over 40 balls in every season he has been in the league apart from 2012, including last season when he had 42 catches for 345 yards.
The Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins have the money to spend, while Dallas would love to add a running back like Johnson to their team after the way they performed on the ground last season, but they don't have the cap space. The Rams could be a fit because of their draft picks, while the Dolphins are the best bet, as they have Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller and they ranked near the bottom of the league in rushing last season.
