CJ2K Gets His Pay Day

Johnson will continue to terrorize AFC
defenses for the next six seasons.

After giving most fantasy football owners along with Tennessee Titan fans a scare everywhere Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson ended his prolonged hold-out Thursday, agreeing to four-year $53.5 million extension.


The deal will include $30 million guaranteed, making Johnson the highest-paid running back in the NFL, surpassing the Vikings' Adrian Peterson, who is set to make $10.7 million in 2011.

In his brief career, Johnson has become one of the best if not the best running back in the NFL rather quickly. The Orlando native was selected with the 24th overall pick by the Titans back in 2008, but surprisingly was the fourth of the five running back chosen in the first-round that year.

It wouldn't be until a year later that Johnson would land in the NFL spotlight.

2009 was truly year to remember for the now-twenty-five-year-old tailback. In 16 regular season games, Johnson found the end zone 14 times while rushing for 2,006 yards, capturing his first NFL rushing title and became only the sixth player in NFL history to amass 2,000 yards on the ground.

To top it off, Johnson's 2,509 total yards from scrimmage broke NFL legend Marshall Faulk's mark of 2,429 he set back in 1999 while playing for "The Greatest Show on Turf", the St. Louis Rams. He also was selected to his second straight Pro Bowl and was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year.

While his numbers were more than respectable in 2010, Johnson seemingly came back down to earth, rushing for 1,364 yards and 11 scores.

Johnson, who will be entering his fourth year in the NFL this season, has totaled 4,598 yards his first three. Only Eric Dickerson (5,147) and Earl Campbell (5,081), both whom are in the Hall of Fame, have accumulated more rushing yards in their first three NFL seasons.

Johnson's deal could impact
Peterson's contract situation in
Minnesota.

Johnson is not the only Pro Bowl running back that was rewarded this offseason as the Carolina Panthers gave DeAngelo Williams a five-year $43 million contract extension in late July. Then just a day prior to Johnson reaching his agreement with Tennessee, San Francisco's Frank Gore also agreed to an extension valued at $21 million, keeping him by the bay three extra seasons.

This leaves many to wonder what will the Viking's Peterson dictate from the club next offseason as he is in the final-year of his rookie contract.

As for CJ2K, he now becomes the face of the Tennessee franchise if he wasn't already in a titanic move that keeps the former East Carolina Pirate in Nashville through 2016.