Chris Johnson's Holdout May Force the Tennessee Titans to Consider Trade

For all intents and purposes, the Titans should get used to the fact that Chris Johnson will not report to training camp until he gets a new deal.

Johnson is arguably one of the best running backs in the league, if not the best, and he is apparently tired of not making the money that he is worth.

A player holdout in the NFL is no shocking matter, and to be honest, I think it’s rarely seen as a personal decision between teams and players, but this lockout may have the makings of a little bit more.

It could get real messy for both parties. The Associated Press via ESPN reports more on the holdout:

"

"He's under contact," general manager Mike Reinfeldt said. "He should be here. Everybody else is. It's the right way to do it."

The Titans opened camp Friday with 80 players reporting and Johnson the lone holdout. Reinfeldt said they previously had told Johnson that they would be willing to sit down and talk about his contract this year after reworking his deal a year ago to get him more money. Johnson currently is due $800,000 this season.

"We've told Chris and his agent we're willing to sit down and talk about a contract, but he needs to be in camp before we do that," Reinfeldt said.

Johnson, a Florida native, said in 2010 he wanted a new deal with $30 million guaranteed. The Titans revised his contract by pushing some money from the final year into 2010 to convince the running back to report. Johnson said on Twitter on Friday that "Imma just leave it in god hands.""

If this gets ugly, which I have a feeling it will, could we potentially see Chris Johnson being traded away?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, and it’s something that the Titans should highly consider.

It is quite obvious that the franchise has fallen head first into rebuilding mode. They drafted their quarterback of the future in Jake Locker and have a few solid young pieces to build around him.

Conventional wisdom says that Johnson is nearing the pinnacle of his career and may start declining in the next few years, so it would make sense for the Titans to trade him while his value is incredibly high.

The fans would be upset, but the organization is on higher ground right now because of his holdout. The timing couldn’t be any better.

It just may be the best option for both parties.

At this point and time, Johnson’s talent alone will demand an incredibly high trade value on the market, and the Titans will most likely be able to get a few very high draft picks at least, if not a player or two as well.

The draft picks would go a long way in the rebuilding process for the Titans, who would have the opportunity to start a completely new era of football for their organization.

Johnson, on the other hand, will go to a team where he will undoubtedly get his money.

It’s a win-win situation, and even though Titans fans might not like hearing it, I think the best option for Tennessee is to trade away their star running back.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports