Titans running back Chris Johnson has continued to come up in trade rumors and at the owners meetings a number of teams expressed interest and the Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams all could be in the mix for the Tennessee star.
Johnson is coming off of one of his worst years in the league, but he has been very consistent during his career and he has rushed for over 1,000 yards each season he has been in the NFL. According to Pro Football Talk, Johnson said he is ready to begin workouts this offseason and this comes after he underwent knee surgery earlier in the year. The report says that the Titans start up their offseason program April 7 and since the team and Johnson do not have any bonus dates or guarantees coming up, they can be patient while looking for a deal and figuring out their next move.
Johnson and the Titans have been at odds over his deal for a number of years and his $8 million salary for next season is one of the biggest reasons why the teams is looking to move him in the first place. Johnson said to the Tennesseean that he plans on being with the team when workouts start and a trade could go down over the summer if the two sides can't come to a pay cut agreement. Some have speculated that the team will release Johnson, but with ESPN.com reporting that a number of teams have been interested, it's more likely that a deal will get worked out eventually.
If the team is planning on trading Johnson, they may not want him to start working out with the team in case he gets hurt and that will be up to new Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt. The new coach spoke about Johnson at the owners meetings and did not say anything concrete about a deal, but that could change as time goes on. Last season Johnson rushed for 1077 yards and six touchdowns and he ended up with the lowest yards per carry of his career, going under 4.0 for the first time.
The Dallas Cowboys likely do not have the money to make a move, but they are a good fit since they could use a power back with speed like Johnson to pair with DeMarco Murray and they also have Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle as younger backs behind him. The Dolphins make the most sense, as they have the cap money and the draft picks to make a deal and they ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing last season and need a boost badly. The Raiders lost Rashad Jennings as their leading rusher from last season and now they could look to make a deal to add more in front of the oft-injured Darren McFadden.
The Cardinals are an interesting option along with the Rams, as both have young backs coming up and could use a veteran like Johnson. The Titans want to make a deal but they won't just give Johnson away and while he once rushed for 2,000 yards, he clearly is not that back anymore, but he can put up solid numbers for a team and should be able to help someone.
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