Chris Johnson and the Titans are working on a short-term fix.
The Tennessee Titans and Chris Johnson are closing in on a compromise that will provide a short-term solution to the running back’s contract dispute.
The compromise being discussed would actually just shift around money he is already due.
Johnson has already reached escalators in his five-year, $12 million rookie contract that would earn him an additional $2.5 million in salary in 2012. As part of the compromise, the Titans would turn that money into a signing bonus for 2010 in addition to his base salary of $550,000 this season according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
Because of the ongoing labor dispute, the Titans have maintained that they cannot do a long-term deal right now. There is currently a 30 percent rule in effect that restricts big pay increases for a player.
Since Johnson is in the market for a long-term deal that would pay him as the league’s top rusher, the team would have to fork over a signing bonus in the range of $40 million according to Wyatt. And that just isn’t going to happen right now.
The fact the reigning rushing leader in the NFL worked out at the Titans facility last week is a promising sign that a deal could get done prior to the start of camp.