We've had quite a bit of discussion here about Chris Johnson's contract situation. Profootball Talk reports that he and the Titans reached a new deal today. The deal doesn't add any years to his current deal, nor does it add any money. Instead it moves $2.5 million in incentives from 2012 to 2010. Essentially it's a way for both sides to buy another year.
Adds Jason La Confora via Twitter:
The Titans reworked deal with Chris Johnson puts an extra few million in his pocket, and in essence buys the sides another year. The two remaining years - 2011 and 2012 are untouched. So CJ gets enough to play out 2010, but will still be seeking a longterm deal at season's end
I like the deal. I think it's a fair one for both sides, since CJ2K was only scheduled to make $550,000 this year (based on his rookie deal). This is a nice compromise in that it gives CJ2K another year to prove himself the best in the business, while buying time for both sides. Hopefully we'll have a new CBA in place by season's end so that the two sides can come to a new agreement without putting so much guaranteed money on the table.
It's a creative way to solve the problem and I have to give kudos to both sides for doing it.
As a reminder, here are Chris Johnson's stats since entering the league:
Career Statsmore | |||||||||||||||
Season | Team | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
G | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FUM | Lost | ||
2009 | Tennessee Titans | 16 | 16 | 358 | 2,006 | 5.6 | 91T | 14 | 50 | 503 | 10.1 | 69T | 2 | 3 | 3 |
2008 | Tennessee Titans | 15 | 14 | 251 | 1,228 | 4.9 | 66T | 9 | 43 | 260 | 6.0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
TOTAL | 609 | 3,234 | 5.3 | 91 | 23 | 93 | 763 | 8.2 | 69 | 3 | 4 | 4 |