CJ2K Gets Paid

Well there you have it, the Chris Johnson/Tennessee Titans contract saga has been resolved.  It was announced Thursday that the Titans and running back Chris Johnson have agreed to a 4 yr./ $53 million extension, with $30 million guaranteed.
The announcement brings relief to all them "fake" Titans fans (yes I am mocking Chris Johnson's tweet) and can make any fantasy owners of Chris Johnson feel relieved that he will be in the lineup for all 16 games this season (I'm now mocking Arian Foster).

Both sides got what they wanted, with Johnson getting his pay and the Titans keeping around their main offensive threat.  Johnson has been holding out of camp the entire preseason due to contract disputes.  Johnson was entering his last year on his rookie contract.  He was only expected to earn $1.065 million this season, which may seem like a small amount for a running back that rushed for over 2,000 yards two seasons ago.  But, like many first round picks, much of Johnson's money was guaranteed, meaning that he earned roughly half of his pay on the contract in the first two seasons.
Guaranteed contracts have been of much dispute lately, with many high-profile players getting guaranteed contracts and receiving upwards of $20 million a season in the first two or three years of a contract and then only making about $5-6 million in the remaining years.  Players need to begin realizing that by earning guaranteed money, they are forfeiting an average pay over the length of the contract and are getting the majority of it in the early years.

That was the main dispute between Johnson and the Titans, with Johnson saying that he has outplayed his contract, but forgetting that he got paid as a high-profile running back during his first two seasons in the league.
Johnson was the NFL's leading rusher two seasons ago and is by far one of the most dynamic players in the game and definitely the most dynamic in Tennessee.  He wanted to be paid as a top NFL player, not just running back.
So, while Johnson may be getting more money this season, it won't surprise me one bit if he wants to re-up his contract in about three seasons, when he won't be making the same money that he is going to get this season.  But hey, who cares, because today is a happy day for CJ2K and the Titans.

*Images Courtesy of Google Images*