subject: Tennessee Titans Tickets – Johnson Deserves Raise before Season [print this page] Tennessee Titans Tickets Johnson Deserves Raise before Season
Last season Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson earned $385,000. Meanwhile, in a strange, alternate universe, JaMarcus Russell earned $13.1 million. It doesn't take enormous intellect to understand that something doesn't quite add up, especially considering that Johnson had one of the greatest years as a running back in the history of the league and Russell was swiftly cut by the Raiders in the offseason. Clearly Johnson has outplayed his contract, but does that mean the Titans should swoop in and give him the contract that he deserves? After all, business is business. Right?
In most sports and for most positions, that would certainly be the case, but this is a different set of circumstances. Running back is the most physically demanding position in the NFL, easily the most physically demanding major sport in the world. The average career span of a running back in the NFL has always hovered around three years due to the toll that the position takes on the body. Chris Johnson is currently a dominant player with fresh legs, but, as we have seen over and over again, there is no guarantee that will last for very long. The NFL is littered with talented backs who have torn it up in brief stints and are suddenly out of work because their bodies simply couldn't keep up.
Johnson is, of course, still very young and in top physical condition, so there is no reason to think that will happen to him any time soon. The problem is that you just never know. After setting the NFL record for most combined yards (rushing and receiving) in 2009 and being the league's most electric player, Johnson is slated to make roughly $550,000 in base salary in 2010, making him the most undervalued athlete possibly ever. Considering the way that the NFL chews up running backs, this is one time that holding out this offseason isn't just an option for Johnson; it's the only option.
If Johnson was playing this well as a quarterback, a new contract would have already been drafted up, as quarterbacks are expected to be the leaders of the team for a long time. With backs, however, teams understand that they constantly have to look for a replacement, and there is minimal risk in angering Johnson by refusing to give him a new contract. Whether it's ethical is a whole different story one that usually doesn't enter into the equation in the NFL.
In another sport, it would make sense for the player to simply play out his rookie contract and wait for his next one. In the NBA, younger players are constantly undervalued, though it usually works out once their rookie contracts expire and they get a chance to sign second-level contracts. Due to the length of careers in comparison to the NFL, this system works very well for the NBA. This should provide little solace to Chris Johnson, however, as there is always a very real possibility as an NFL running back that you will never make it to your next contract before your body gives out.
Obviously Chris Johnson isn't headed to the poor house if he doesn't get a new contract. With bonuses for 2010 added into the equation, Johnson will actually take home closer to $4 million in total, which is an improvement but one that still leaves him terribly underpaid compared to his peers. It's often easy to sympathize with teams when players hold out looking for new contracts; this simply isn't one of those occasions.
Johnson is also the Titans' most marketable player and his base salary for 2010 is laughable considering his recent productivity, even if his numbers dip from his ridiculous 2009 campaign. Johnson is in his prime and will continue to sell plenty of http://www.stubhub.com/tennessee-titans-tickets/">Tennessee Titans tickets this season, though there is no telling how many more seasons he'll be able to do just that given the nature of the position. The Titans need to square with Johnson as a sign of good faith to the rest of the team.
