Chris Johnson wants the $

[dadymat]

2 years into a 5 years contract


http://blogs.nfl.com/2010/02/01/titans-johnson-wants-to-be-nfls-highest-paid-rb/

Titans’ Johnson wants to be NFL’s highest-paid RB


Titans RB Chris Johnson, fresh off a 2,000-yard rushing season and scoring the winning touchdown in the Pro Bowl, has announced that he wants to be the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

The Tennessean reported Johnson’s wishes in Monday’s editions. However, Johnson also told the newspaper that he wouldn’t lobby the Titans through the media for a new deal.


“Hopefully they’ll want to give me a new deal,” Johnson said. “I think I deserve to be the highest-paid running back in the league, or even the highest-paid offensive player besides the quarterback.

“But it’s not like I am not going out in the media saying, ‘Pay me, I want a new deal now.’ I am just saying, if they were to pay me, I want that. Hopefully they want that, too.”

Johnson’s agent, Joel Segal, said the Titans haven’t reached out about a new contract. But Johnson added that he hasn’t even thought about a holdout.

Johnson just completed the second year of the five-year contract he signed after being drafted by the Titans in 2008. Johnson is scheduled to make a base salary of $560,000 in 2010, $800,000 in 2011 and $2.21 million in 2012, but that could increase with escalators in his contract.

Rams RB Steven Jackson became the highest-paid running back in the NFL in 2008, when he signed a six-year, $48.5 million deal.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

this is getting ridiculous

 

[CF74]

What was his signing bonus? Yeah it's getting ridiculous...

 

[Rampage]

Rams RB Steven Jackson became the highest-paid running back in the NFL in 2008, when he signed a six-year, $48.5 million deal.

what was the contract that Jerry gave to Marry Barber?

 

[Cowboys22]

It ridiculous when its someone else. If you were in his position, you'd want the money and security too. He could blow out his knee in minicamp, never be the same, and never get the big contract. He feels he has earned a big payday and wants it. I see no problem at all with that. Yeah, I know he signed a contract and should honor it, blah, blah, blah. Put yourself in a position where you are worth 10 times what you are being paid and think about how you'd feel being stuck there for another 3 years. Then think about living everyday knowing you may never make it to the end of that 3 years and still have the same earning power.

I usually can't stand when players do this but there are rare occasions when the player is right. He is the best RB in the league right now. RBs have short shelf lives and many good ones never see that big money 2nd contract. I think he's earned the right to ask for more money and I applaud him saying he is not considering holding out.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

They should just load up the contract with rewards for achievements I forgot what it is called lol.


like 1,000 yards rushing extra 500k, 500 yards receiving extra 300k, 10 tds extra 500k.

 

[CF74]

They should just load up the contract with rewards for achievements I forgot what it is called lol.


like 1,000 yards rushing extra 500k, 500 yards receiving extra 300k, 10 tds extra 500k.

Incentives...

 

[trickblue]

It ridiculous when its someone else. If you were in his position, you'd want the money and security too. He could blow out his knee in minicamp, never be the same, and never get the big contract. He feels he has earned a big payday and wants it. I see no problem at all with that. Yeah, I know he signed a contract and should honor it, blah, blah, blah. Put yourself in a position where you are worth 10 times what you are being paid and think about how you'd feel being stuck there for another 3 years. Then think about living everyday knowing you may never make it to the end of that 3 years and still have the same earning power.

I usually can't stand when players do this but there are rare occasions when the player is right. He is the best RB in the league right now. RBs have short shelf lives and many good ones never see that big money 2nd contract. I think he's earned the right to ask for more money and I applaud him saying he is not considering holding out.

I can certainly see that point, but when will these guys be willing to negotiate DOWN when they have a sucky year?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I can certainly see that point, but when will these guys be willing to negotiate DOWN when they have a sucky year?

you are wise

 

[rojan]

I can certainly see that point, but when will these guys be willing to negotiate DOWN when they have a sucky year?

Didn't LT do that last year??

 

[Cowboys22]

I can certainly see that point, but when will these guys be willing to negotiate DOWN when they have a sucky year?

When would you ever do that? They get negotiated down by being cut and because that looms over their head all the time, they want the money they are worth. I would too. CJ has a limited amount of years that he will be a top RB. I wouldn't want to waste the next 3 of them being grossly underpaid and risk never getting the big payday.

 

[Biggems]

hmmm for someone who isnt going out to the media saying he wants to get paid......he sure did go out to the media saying he wants to get paid.

IMO, he deserves a raise....but what a contradiction of words.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Not my problem

Not a Cowboy problem

 

[stilltheguru]

I can certainly see that point, but when will these guys be willing to negotiate DOWN when they have a sucky year?

That's when they get cut.

 

[ZeroClub]

After reading the article, I wonder if Johnson was just answering a reporter's question ("Chris, do you think you should be paid more, given your 2,000 yard season and Pro Bowl? Do you think you should be the highest paid RB in the NFL?").

So Chris basically answers, "Yeah, but I don't want to make an issue of it in the media."

And then the question-answer exchange is packaged in a way that makes Johnson look bad.

---

It would be interesting to know the percentage of signed NFL contracts that go full term without renegotiation (up or down), injury settlement, or the player getting cut prior to the end of the contract's term, etc.

My guess is that the percentage would be well under 50%. (e.g. rookies sign multi year deals but most end up getting cut before the end of their contract's maximum term.)

 

[BAZ]

He's not wrong to put the feelers out there, if you are looking for more money why not do it after a record breaking season? Titans would dumb as a brick to cave though.

 

[Goldenrichards83]

It ridiculous when its someone else. If you were in his position, you'd want the money and security too. He could blow out his knee in minicamp, never be the same, and never get the big contract. He feels he has earned a big payday and wants it. I see no problem at all with that. Yeah, I know he signed a contract and should honor it, blah, blah, blah. Put yourself in a position where you are worth 10 times what you are being paid and think about how you'd feel being stuck there for another 3 years. Then think about living everyday knowing you may never make it to the end of that 3 years and still have the same earning power.

I usually can't stand when players do this but there are rare occasions when the player is right. He is the best RB in the league right now. RBs have short shelf lives and many good ones never see that big money 2nd contract. I think he's earned the right to ask for more money and I applaud him saying he is not considering holding out.

 

[Beast_from_East]

It ridiculous when its someone else. If you were in his position, you'd want the money and security too. He could blow out his knee in minicamp, never be the same, and never get the big contract. He feels he has earned a big payday and wants it. I see no problem at all with that. Yeah, I know he signed a contract and should honor it, blah, blah, blah. Put yourself in a position where you are worth 10 times what you are being paid and think about how you'd feel being stuck there for another 3 years. Then think about living everyday knowing you may never make it to the end of that 3 years and still have the same earning power.

I usually can't stand when players do this but there are rare occasions when the player is right. He is the best RB in the league right now. RBs have short shelf lives and many good ones never see that big money 2nd contract. I think he's earned the right to ask for more money and I applaud him saying he is not considering holding out.

The Titans are one of the cheapest teams in the league, no way in hell they redo his deal. If he makes it to the end of his 5 yr deal, they will just let him walk like they did with Kearse (in his prime) and Haynesworth.

The Titans almost never pay big money to free agents.

 

[thewireman]

It ridiculous when its someone else. If you were in his position, you'd want the money and security too. He could blow out his knee in minicamp, never be the same, and never get the big contract. He feels he has earned a big payday and wants it. I see no problem at all with that. Yeah, I know he signed a contract and should honor it, blah, blah, blah. Put yourself in a position where you are worth 10 times what you are being paid and think about how you'd feel being stuck there for another 3 years. Then think about living everyday knowing you may never make it to the end of that 3 years and still have the same earning power.

I usually can't stand when players do this but there are rare occasions when the player is right. He is the best RB in the league right now. RBs have short shelf lives and many good ones never see that big money 2nd contract. I think he's earned the right to ask for more money and I applaud him saying he is not considering holding out.

I could cut off my hand or easily get electrocuted at my job, but you don't see me going to the boss asking for 10 times more money than what I make because of the possibility of something happening to end my working career. I knew what I was getting into before I took the job, just like football players do. They are already paid really well for playing a 3 hour game for 5 months, I think they will be fine if something were to happen to them if they managed there money right more so than some worker making $40k a year that will be on disability the rest of there lives. This is just greed and egos, nothing more.

 

[Cowboys22]

I could cut off my hand or easily get electrocuted at my job, but you don't see me going to the boss asking for 10 times more money than what I make because of the possibility of something happening to end my working career. I knew what I was getting into before I took the job, just like football players do. They are already paid really well for playing a 3 hour game for 5 months, I think they will be fine if something were to happen to them if they managed there money right more so than some worker making $40k a year that will be on disability the rest of there lives. This is just greed and egos, nothing more.

You are missing the main point. If you were making $40,000 a year but competitors were playing $400,000 a year for the same exact job, how would you feel? Would you stick around or put in an application down the street? Your market value is not 10 times what you are being paid and you could probably do your job until you retire. They could likely replace you with an add in the paper and get similar results. CJ has a few short years as a NFL RB and should not have to waste 3 years of his prime getting lowball wages, not after becoming the best RB in the NFL. If he was just average or good, I'd say go fly a kite but they cannot go out and replace him with the same money. He has earned a raise immediately in my opinion.