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On Monday, the Chiefs ended Johnson’s seven-year tenure in Kansas City by releasing the veteran. Johnson’s time in Kansas City was rocky to say the least.
Early in his career he was in coach Dick Vermeil’s doghouse and Vermeil said he needed to “take the diapers off.” Johnson then went on to have two Pro Bowl seasons before landing a monster contract before the 2007 season.
His play dropped off after that, and he was suspended by the commissioner in 2008 due to off-the-field incidents and was just recently suspended by the team for using gay slurs and ripping the coaching staff.
His most recent antics were his last in a Chiefs uniform and now is currently unemployed after not getting picked up via waivers.
The Long Shots
New England Patriots
The Patriots have had a history of bringing in players who have had off the field issues (Corey Dillon, Randy Moss) and L.J. could be the next. The Patriots don’t have a true lead back and have lost Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris to injuries.
The Patriots always perform their due diligence on every player but I wouldn’t count on seeing L.J. in a Patriot uniform. Bill Belichick said, “I would doubt it,” referring to Johnson.
Pittsburgh Steelers
According to Adam Schefter, Johnson wants to sign with the Steelers. Hey, who wouldn’t? I want to as well, but I’m not crossing my fingers and Johnson shouldn’t either.
The Steelers backfield is simply too full. Rashard Mendenhall has been great as a starter and they don’t even have enough touches to get Willie Parker.
The Contenders
Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis went down with a concussion on Sunday and looks likely to miss next week and possibly more. The Redskins have discussed bringing in Johnson and the urgency to win in D.C. could force the Redskins to make a move.
Remember they did sign Shaun Alexander mid season last year, granted he didn’t have the baggage that Johnson comes with. However, coach Jim Zorn did have this to say about Johnson: "I suspect he'll be somewhere quickly anyway."
Houston Texans
There have been conflicting reports on the Texans interest in Johnson. Adam Schefter has reported the Texans are completely out of the running for Johnson, while NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora says the Texans “appear to be Johnson’s most likely landing spot.”
The Texans already have a number of running backs and adding another one to mix isn’t the best idea.
Seattle Seahawks
Julius Jones hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire this year and they could look to add some competition for him. They thought Edgerrin James could provide that, but after he struggled, they released him last week.
Coach Jim Mora wasn’t endorsing a move though, saying “No,” he said. “Right now, we’ll just stick with what we’ve got.”
The Sleeper
Chicago Bears
Matt Forte is entrenched as the starter in Chicago, but there is little behind him. Kevin Jones went down with injury right before the season started and just this past week Garret Wolfe goes down and will miss a few weeks.
The Bears are in a little funk right now and adding Johnson could give them a spark to get them back in the playoff picture.
The Favorite
Unemployment
After looking at all the possible targets for Johnson, the logical conclusion is that no one will pick up Johnson. As of now, €no one seems truly interested in Johnson and honestly who can blame them?
He’ll be turning 30 next week, the dreaded age for all running backs, and comes with a ton of baggage. His talent has fallen off drastically the past few years and isn’t worth the trouble.
Players with the talent of T.O., and Randy Moss can be worth the baggage, but this isn’t the Larry Johnson of 2006.
A injury can change his fortune in an instant, but for the foreseeable future it looks like L.J. will be similar to a number of Americans: unemployed.
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