HEADLINES

Chris Johnson (RB)

Chris Johnson Willing To Restructure

March 13th, 2014 at 5:45pm CST by Zachary Links

5:45pm: The Titans continue to shop Johnson to other teams and there’s some interest around the league, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean.

5:37pm: Chris Johnson is willing to restructure his contract in order to help facilitate a trade, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Earlier this week we learned that Tennessee would work to move their star running back.

It is unclear what the Titans could hope to receive in exchange for the 28-year-old, but an easier contract will certainly help his trade value. The man known as CJ2K ran for over 2,000 yards four years ago, but his production has been spotty ever since. While he still has tremendous speed, he graded out as just the 42nd-best running back in the league last season according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Releasing the running back would mean a $4MM cap charge for Tennessee, but they have that option at their disposal up until the first week of the regular season. In total, cutting Johnson loose would result in ~$6MM in cap savings for the Titans. The 28-year-old ran for 1,077 yards off of 279 carries, good for an average of 3.9 yards per carry. He also had six touchdowns, matching his 2012 total.

 

Titans To Attempt To Trade Chris Johnson

March 9th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans will try to trade running back Chris Johnson before releasing him, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Johnson does not have any upcoming roster bonuses due, so the Titans could wait all the way until the first week of the regular season to cut without owing him any base salary. Releasing the running back would result in a $4MM cap charge.

It is unclear what the Titans could hope to receive in exchange for Johnson. He once ran for over 2,000 yards, but the was four years ago. He still has elite speed, but he graded out as just the 42nd-best running back in the league last season according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Even if a team was willing to sacrifice a late-round pick for Johnson, it is not going to want to retain him at his current salary levels. A release still seems like the overwhelmingly likely outcome.

AFC Notes: Johnson, Amendola, Lankster, Nwaneri

March 5th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Titans running back Chris Johnson took to Twitter to provide an update on his contract situation. According to Johnson, his agent met with the Titans yesterday, but talks remain at a standstill as the running back continues to play the waiting game. Tennessee is believed to have interest in retaining Johnson, but not at his current $10MM cap figure. Here are a few more AFC notes:

  • The Patriots can’t designate Danny Amendola as a post-June 1 cut in 2014, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (Twitter links). The Pats have to carry the wide receiver on the roster into the ’14 league year to make him a June 1 cut and if they do that, his ’14 base is guaranteed.
  • The Jets announced that they have agreed to deals with reserve cornerbacks Ellis Lankster and Darrin Walls. Lankster, 26, has seen time in 30 combined games for Gang Green over the last two years.
  • In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Seifert outlines why many members of this year’s free agent class – including Broncos standout Eric Decker – may be better off re-signing with their current teams before next week.
  • Two or three teams are already in on former Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. The Jags released their longtime starting guard yesterday to create $3.706MM in cap savings for the team. Nwaneri ranked 34th among 81 qualified guards in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, and had an overall grade of +18.0 over the last five seasons.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC South Notes: Johnson, Fitzpatrick, Watt

February 23rd, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Titans and the representation for runningback Chris Johnson met at the NFL scouting combine, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean. Johnson is scheduled to make $8MM in 2014, a price that the team is unlikely to pay. Johnson might not be willing to take a pay cut, and that could result in in the runningback’s release. The cap space the Titans would gain by releasing Johnson could help pay cornerback Alterraun Verner, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2013. Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:

  • New Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt is on record saying that he holds backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in high regard, writes Wyatt. “Fitz is a good quarterback. He is a veteran guy that has played, and he made some plays for this team last year,” Whisenhunt said. “I have a lot of respect for what he has done in this league.” General manager Ruston Webster had the same sentiment.
  • J.J. Watt is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, and the Texans are getting closer to being forced to make a decision about the star defensive lineman’s futre, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. The team has the ability to pick up the team option for a fifth year, but much like the situation in Carolina with Cam Newton, it might be better for both sides to come to terms on a long-term extension. Ganguli does know that the team does not Watt to reach free agency.
  • Other players the Texans have to make decisions on are Antonio Smith, Garrett Graham, and Earl Mitchell, writes Ganguli. The original assumption was that these three might not be in the team’s long-term plans, but the new coaching staff might have different and evolving opinions of them.
  • Colts‘ general manager Ryan Grigson has put out the idea of “Don’t rule anything out” when it comes to the NFL Draft, but Mike Wells of ESPN.com is pretty close to ruling them out of moving back into the first round. He sees the depth of this draft and the many holes the Colts need to fill would make them unlikely to package multiple assets to move up.

Titans Rumors: Locker, Johnson, Verner

February 23rd, 2014 at 12:05pm CST by Rory Parks

Although Titans team president/CEO Tommy Smith recently lent his full endorsement to QB Jake Locker, Locker can expect to have some competition, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Although it is expected that the 2014 draft’s top quarterbacks–Johnny Manizel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Blake Bortles–will be off the board by the time the Titans pick with the 11th overall selection, new head coach Ken Whisenhunt noted that there is a lot of talent at the position in this year’s draft and that he would like to have “five or six” of the incoming QBs.

Potential options to provide some younger competition for Locker that could be had after the first round include Derek Carr, Aaron Murray, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Zach Mettenberger, all of whom have enough talent to be starters in the league. Of course, the Titans also have Ryan Fitzpatrick under contract. Although his $2.75MM base salary puts him at risk of being a cap casualty, Titans officials have indicated that they “feel comfortable” with Fitzpatrick. In any event, 2014 seems to be Locker’s last year to prove he is Tennessee’s long-term solution at quarterback.

A couple quick updates on two of the bigger names on the Titans roster:

  • There has been no change in talks with RB Chris Johnson, according to Wyatt (via Twitter). Our Luke Adams noted last week that it is widely expected the Titans will cut Johnson, and since then, GM Ruston Webster indicated the team will be patient when it comes to a decision regarding Johnson. Wyatt tweeted that Johnson will “stick to his word” and will not accept a pay cut.
  • Wyatt also tweets that the Titans are continuing to talk to CB Alterraun Verner, but that nothing is imminent. As Adams pointed out several days ago, the Titans would love to keep Verner but do not want to use the franchise tag on him.

Combine Updates: Bucs, Titans, Bears, Lions

February 20th, 2014 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

The 2014 scouting combine is underway in Indianapolis, and NFL head coaches and general managers have begun speaking to reporters both in scheduled press conferences and in smaller side interviews. There have been several tidbits worth passing along from those sessions, so let’s dive right in and round up a few highlights….

  • While Lovie Smith said he likes Mike Glennon, the Buccaneers head coach also expressed a belief that there could be a potential franchise quarterback available with the No. 7 pick in the draft, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times details. If that’s the case, it sounds like the Bucs will strongly consider drafting a signal-caller in the first round.
  • Steelers GM Kevin Colbert didn’t reveal much about his team’s offseason plans, but was enthusiastic in discussing 2014’s draft class. While he cautioned that it’s an immature group due to all the underclassmen in the mix, Colbert said it’s the best class he has even seen, according to Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). As Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter), that’s very high praise coming from Colbert, who has been preparing for drafts for the last 30 years.
  • Colbert’s comments on wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suggested to the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe that the Steelers intend to let Sanders hit the open market.
  • Asked about running back Chris Johnson, a potential cap casualty, Titans GM Ruston Webster said that the club can be as patient as it wants to be in making a decision on Johnson, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Webster also confirmed that the Titans have spoken to cornerback Alterraun Verner‘s agent about a new contract, adding that “we’ll continue to talk” (Twitter link via Wyatt).
  • The Bears would like to re-sign free agent defensive lineman Henry Melton, GM Phil Emery indicated to reporters, including Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). However, it’s clear that it will come down to Melton’s price tag. Emery also echoed coach Marc Trestman‘s views on Chris Conte, suggesting that he hopes the safety comes in and wins a starting job (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). “I’d like to be talking to him about an extension,” Emery said of Conte.
  • Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said “never say never” when it comes to re-signing recently released safety Louis Delmas, but didn’t sound optimistic about the possibility, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Caldwell added that acquiring a wide receiver to complement Calvin Johnson will be one of the club’s top priorities this offseason, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).
  • The Cardinals would like to re-sign linebacker Karlos Dansby but have always been prepared to move on, GM Steve Keim said today, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).

Titans Rumors: Free Agency, Locker, Johnson

February 18th, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Before speaking to Titans season ticket holders at an event in Nashville today, team president/CEO Tommy Smith appeared on 104.5 The Zone to discuss the coming offseason. Insisting that maintaining the status quo isn’t a real option for the Titans, Smith reiterated a point he’s made before, indicating that the club won’t hesitate to get involved in free agency.

“I’ve said before, we’re going to be active,” Smith said. “We were active last year, and where [GM] Ruston [Webster] and [head coach] Ken [Whisenhunt] see the need and find the talent, we’re going to go after it. So within our confines within the salary cap and so forth, we’re going to be active.”

Later, at the Music City Center, Smith addressed a few more Titans-related topics, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean tweeted out a few highlights. Let’s round them up (all links go to Twitter)….

  • Jake Locker is the Titans’ quarterback, says Smith, adding that he “absolutely” supports Locker despite somewhat middling results for the 25-year-old so far.
  • According to Smith, it took about seven minutes for the club to negotiate a contract for Whisenhunt, who signed a five-year deal as Tennessee’s new head coach. “We made a very good offer,” Smith said.
  • Chris Johnson‘s future with the Titans will be determined by Webster and Whisenhunt, according to Smith, who praised Johnson’s productivity but made it clear that the decision was in the hands of his GM and head coach. It’s widely believed that the Titans will cut their starting running back this season, creating $6MM in cap savings.

AFC Notes: Chris Johnson, Dolphins, Bills

January 27th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Monday updates from around the AFC….

  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that Titans running back Chris Johnson will undergo a surgical procedure to repair a torn meniscus. Johnson remains under contract for now, but is a strong candidate to be released and hit the open market this offseason, so his health could be a significant factor in the next deal he signs.
  • Despite Joe Philbin‘s 15-17 record to date, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross believes Philbin is the long-term answer as head coach, according to James Walker of ESPN.com, who notes that the organization’s confidence in Philbin was on full display during Miami’s GM search (Twitter links).
  • While the Ravens ultimately passed on Kyle Shanahan and hired Gary Kubiak as their offensive coordinator, it sounds as if Shanahan made a favorable impression in Baltimore, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network.
  • Multiple former Bills coaches are already headed to Cleveland to join the Browns‘ staff, and Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone confirmed today to reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links), that Jeff Hafley and Brian Fleury will also be joining the Browns as defensive coaches.
  • Although adding more receiving weapons for Tom Brady should be a priority for the Patriots, the development of the team’s young receivers is equally important, writes Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com.