Thread: C.J. Negotiations Worth Keeping an Eye on; May Affect Forte's Deal

Adams backs GM in Titans' CJ stance


Those who believe the Tennessee Titans should pay Chris Johnson his mega-contract, be done with it and get the star running back in camp have been critical of the way general manager Mike Reinfeldt has handled the negotiations.



But Reinfeldt has at least one backer in his corner, and it is a backer that counts for much – Titans owner Bud Adams.

The Tennessee Titans still have not made an offer, even though Reinfeldt said he nearly two weeks ago was willing to make Johnson the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Since that time, the sides still have not done any meaningful negotiating, and no offer has been forthcoming from the Titans to Johnson.

Adams is fine with that stance, especially since Johnson's current contract has two more years to run, and the fact that Johnson has stayed away from camp since it opened on July 30. “I'm not gonna make any offer with the way he's acting. Life's too short,” Adams said.

While it appears the Titans are standing firm in their stance, indications are that Johnson's camp has dug in their heels as well in their demands. The possibility of the stalemate lasting into the regular season is becoming more likely each day.

“That could be, but that's his decision. He's got to make that. I'm not going to interfere. If he doesn't want to come in and play, then he doesn't want to come in and play,” Adams said.

Meanwhile, Titans head coach Mike Munchak said the time is drawing nigh that the team needs to get Johnson into camp in order to get him ready for the start of the season.
"We just want him in here, so Chris Palmer can get used to how to use him. Chris has never worked with him, so that's the hard part. I think the longer it goes until game week, and go, 'OK, here's how we're going to use him.' I think Chris has to figure out how to use him by having him here," Munchak said. "I think it reaches a point - we're three weeks away from starting - that it's getting to be important that we get this thing worked out. As coaches, we don't have any control over all that, but you get anxious because we're trying to make decisions on how we move forward."

As he told TitanInsider two weeks ago, Adams says he will not step into the negotiation process and fully backs his GM. “No, I'm leaving that up to Mike Reinfeldt to work that out,” Adams said. “(Johnson) has got two years on his contract right now. Now, he wants more money, I guess, but he can be fined ($30,000 per day) for not reporting. You add all that up and it's a pretty good bit.”

Speaking of a pretty good bit, the Larry Fitzgerald contract with the Arizona Cardinals (eight years, $120 million with $50 million guaranteed) will certainly complicate matters for the Titans in terms of money.

Johnson's camp was already looking for “playmaker” money, far beyond the $21 million guaranteed ($43 million total) forked over by the Carolina Panthers to running back DeAngelo Williams at the start of training camp that made Williams arguably the highest paid running back in the league. Adrian Peterson is making $10.72 million in base salary in the final year of his rookie deal, and Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams has a deal that is close in terms of overall pay to what Williams signed.

But Johnson and his agent Joel Segal are looking for more than that, wanting Johnson to be compensated more on his big-play abilities and less in line with the pay scale of the position he plays. Segal could not be reached for comment.

The fact that Javon Ringer and rookie Jamie Harper have looked good in preseason is somewhat of a consolation, but neither of those players are the home run hitter Johnson is in the Titans' lineup.

"We want him here. We know we need him to be part of this thing for us to reach our goals," Munchak said. "I think it is encouraging for him to see what we're going to do some great things this year in the run game and we want him to be a big part of that."
Adams was also holding out hope that the matter will be resolved, but, like Reinfeldt, is sticking to his guns.

“I'm just hoping he'll come on in and start playing for us. But I don't know, it doesn't look like it. I'm not interfering with them,” Adams said. “They've got it worked out on the basis that they want to work it out. I'm behind them all the way. They're (Johnson's side) not getting any results out of his not showing up, though.”

Adams lay some of the blame on the situation at Segal. “These agents sometimes get carried away and don't really tell the player what their position is. Players usually leave it up to them to get it done, but sometimes they make mistakes with what they tell them,” Adams said. “It's hard for me to believe that he wouldn't want to come in and start playing. I hope that he will make his mind up here pretty quick, because this $30,000 a day can start adding up pretty quickly.”

As of Sunday, Johnson had missed 23 days of camp.

All I can say is that if CJ and his agent are chosing to play "hardball" then Bud Adams is not the guy to do it with. This is the guy who fired a good coach, Jeff Fisher, over a disagreement about playing Vince Young and then when all was said and done got rid of Young too.

Johnson has two years, not one year, left on his rookie deal and he's holding out for a deal which guarantees him 50% more than the currently highest paid RB in the NFL? I don't know the bottom line of what he considers "playmakers money" but the Titans have already promised to make him the highest paid RB and that would put him over the $$$ that Williams just signed for. Just what is the guy looking for.

Bud Adams contentions that agents woefully overstate their clients worth to them strikes a familiar chord. This is exactly what Jack Bechta was talking about in an article by him that I posted a week or so ago. Bechta was referring more to the 30+ guys looking for new FA deals but I don't think it's any less applicable to younger guys like CJ either.

This should be interesting to watch in view of the fact that Matt Forte is in the midst of negotiation for an extension of his rookie deal and this may have an impact. I think he and his agent will be more reasonable than Johnson is being though.

It is not about team loyalty or the thrill of being a pro ball player, it is about the money. That is why football is going down hill.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

OR actually honor the damn deal you agree to

And isn't that what an extension of an existing contract does? Forte is asking for an extension of his original deal, not a restructure of the last year of his rookie deal. He wants financial security beyond this year and that's what a four or five year extension would give him. How the Bears structure that is what's being negotiated.

Maybe they offer him a big roster bonus to be paid this year since we have cap room or if they plan to use that for other purposes them maybe it's better to structure the guarantees as a signing bonus and spread it out. Benji, you seem to miss the point that Forte has asked fot an extension not a restructure of the last year of his rookie deal. He's already said that he would agree to play under those terms if need be.

The situation with CJ isn't the same. He wants to be one of the highestv paid offensive players, not just RB's, in the NFL and he want it now or we says he won't play. Apples vs oranges as far as comparing it to Forte.