Charles Klein
The Tennessee Titans and Chris Johnson find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Johnson wants more money and the Titans do not want to give it to him. When I first heard this story, I was heavily biased in favor of Johnson, considering all he did last season was lead the NFL with 2,509 yards from scrimmage on only 408 touches.
But there is simply more to it than that. Since the 2010 season is uncapped, and restructured deals cannot increase a base salary by more than 30 percent. The only way that the Titans could adequately compensate Johnson is through a signing bonus.
The contracts of Steven Jackson ($44.8 million, six years) and Maurice Jones-Drew ($30.95 million over five years) have set the market for running backs over the past few years. Johnson is better than both of them, and yet if the Titans wanted to sign him to a deal of that nature they would have to pay $30-40 million dollars up front, which is not possible. The deal that Johnson deserves, somewhere around three years, $27 million is simply too pricey for the Titans.
So what is the realistic alternative for both parties? I would argue that a two-year, $10 million is the right middle ground. It allows Johnson to make more than his backup Alvin Pearman ($630,000) and will also make him a free agent at 26. This deal is good for the Titans because it gets Johnson back for training camp and the start of the season, something that right now anyway appears to be unlikely. If the Titans decide that Johnson is worth further investment, I am sure that they will have the opportunity to negotiate the contract that Johnson wants to get right now.
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