MARCH 28: The Titans have yet to find a trade partner for Johnson, and if their efforts continue to fail over the next few days, the veteran running back is “very likely” to be released next week, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
MARCH 19: Although there has long been a belief that the Titans may release Chris Johnson this offseason, a pair of March reports indicated the team was looking to trade him and that the veteran running back would be willing to restructure his contract to help facilitate a deal. That has resulted in an emerging trade market for Johnson, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reports that while no move is imminent, multiple teams have “real interest” in the longtime Titan. ESPN.com’s Ed Werder is hearing similar rumblings.
As Werder notes, Titans general manager Ruston Webster said on The Midday 180 yesterday that there’s “no real timetable” for when the club needs to make a move. Johnson isn’t owed any workout or roster bonuses this year, so there are no potential deadlines looming that would force Tennessee’s hand. Still, clearing a chunk of the 28-year-old’s $10MM cap number for 2014 would give the club some additional flexibility.
Johnson, who has only missed one game in his six NFL seasons, has compiled at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of those seasons. In 2013, he posted 1,077 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns despite reportedly playing through a torn meniscus.