Chris Johnson Trade Speculation: 5 Teams Most Interested if Titans Lose Patience

When the NFL lockout ended and the players returned to work, there was still one man noticeably absent from his team’s camp: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.

The thought process of his holdout is sound. Chris Johnson has outplayed his rookie contract and should be worth more money based on his pro bowl play over the past three seasons. He has been at the very least one of the top five running backs in football and wants to be paid accordingly. Can you blame him?

The problem for the Titans is that they might not be willing to accommodate their star. What is the value of having the highest paid running back in the league for a losing team? Tennessee finished 6-10 last season before releasing their starting quarterback, Vince Young. They are now in rebuilding mode with Jake Locker pegged as the quarterback of the future and Matt Hasselbeck most likely just a holdover until the rookie is ready. If the team will not be ready for a few more years, the Titans might just be better off trading him for future value.

To this point, the Titans have said the right things. GM Mike Reinfeldt said publicly last week that he is willing to pay Johnson enough to make him the highest paid running back in the league, as long as he shows up to camp. However, Johnson has not received any formal offer and is not willing to report to camp any time soon.

This leaves both parties in a stalemate. If Chris Johnson refuses to report to training camp, the only course of action from the Titans could be to trade him and continue to build for the future. At this point in his career, Johnson could yield a large amount of value in players and especially draft picks. He will probably net at least two first round picks or some similar value.

It will be a steep price to get the 25-year-old star, but there are a few contenders that might be willing to pull the trigger for a chance to win it all.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Over the past two years, the Indianapolis Colts run game has been atrocious. Last season, as a team the Colts barely out-rushed Chris Johnson 1,483 yards to 1,364. In 2009, CJ destroyed the entire Colts backfield (along with a majority of the league) by a measure of 2,006 yards to 1,294.

Of course they do make the playoffs every season thanks to that Peyton Manning fellow behind center. However, it would be nice if he could hand the ball off to someone who could lighten the load for the 35-year-old quarterback. The Colts were their most dominant when they had a balanced attack and Edgerrin James was keeping the defenses honest.

The problem with this trade is that the Colts are not known for trading for top talent. Most of their impact players were acquired through the draft and GM Bill Polian will most likely not mortgage future picks for an outside player. Then again, not many players like Chris Johnson are made available in the prime of their careers.

4. Washington Redskins

While the Washington Redskins are not considered to be contenders this season, they could still use a boost in the running game. They finished 30^th in the league last year in rushing yards, and their acquisition of Tim Hightower had a down year last year with only five touchdowns.

Owner Daniel Snyder also runs his teams like a fantasy owner. He has proven in the past that he is willing to pay top dollar and trade multiple draft picks to attain a top player from another team. While this did not work out with Albert Haynesworth or Donovan McNabb, Clinton Portis was a very serviceable rusher over the past few years. It is possible they are willing try the running back experiment again while attaining a top flight running back in Chris Johnson.

3. Arizona Cardinals

While the Arizona Cardinals are not known as a Super Bowl contender this season, they can still make themselves contenders for a division crown. The NFC West is widely regarded as the weakest division in football, so despite an apparent lack of talent on the Cardinals they still have as good a chance as any at making the playoffs.

The team has already made a huge splash this offseason in acquire quarterback Kevin Kolb from the Philadelphia Eagles. This move could make them competitive, but acquiring Chris Johnson could put the team over the top. Many say that a young quarterback needs good receiving weapons to succeed, but having eight men in the box against a play action truly makes one’s life easier.

In addition, the Cardinals have to convince Larry Fitzgerald that they can be a competitive team and that he should stay. A young offensive core of Kolb, Johnson and Fitzgerald could be dangerous for years to come.

Arizona’s current run game has been awful. Although they hope Ryan Williams could be their savior, they would be doing their franchise a disservice if they fail to acquire an elite player.

2. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas could be an intriguing destination for Chris Johnson because they might have the best situation at running back on this list. Felix Jones and Tashard Choice have both proven to be capable backs, although neither has truly held the role of a feature back to this point in their career.

This leaves a mild need for Johnson, although owner Jerry Jones has never been shy about taking a chance to improve his team. The Cowboys traded a first round pick to the Detroit Lions for Roy Williams to come be a complimentary receiver to Terrell Owens. Williams had some good seasons in Detroit, but he was nowhere near the impact player that Chris Johnson has become.

Given the opportunity, Jerry Jones would most likely pull the trigger on a chance to move his team for good to great. With an elite running back and a good quarterback in Tony Romo, the Cowboys would have a great chance to bring home their first Lombardi Trophy since 1996.

1. Green Bay Packers

The returning Super Bowl champions will learn something that the San Francisco Giants have already figured out: when you win a championship, you only want to win another.

The baseball Giants sacrificed their future to get Carlos Beltran, because anything less than a championship would not suffice. The Green Bay Packers have the talent to make the playoffs, but the only thing that will satisfy the players and fans would be another ring. The best way to do that is to drastically improve their backfield.

The Packers made a great run last year despite owning the 24^th best rushing offense in the league last year. As a team, they only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. This is truly a testament to how good Aaron Rodgers was last season, but can he do it again.

This year they return Ryan Grant, whose 2010 was lost to injuries in his ankle and knee. They do not know what they will be getting from Grant, and their leading rusher from last season Brandon Jackson is now with the Cleveland Browns. The easiest way to sort out the mess is to acquire one of the best running backs in the National Football League.

I am sure Chris Johnson will quickly report to camp if you told him he was now a member of the returning champions.