Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson has still not reported to training camp as he continues his holdout for a new contract.
Running back not budging on contract demands as season nears
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has still not reported to his team for training camp as he continues his holdout for a new contract.
Johnson reportedly wants to become one of the highest-paid players in the NFL and the Titans have not yet managed to agree a deal that meets his demands.
Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt recently stated that he would be willing to make Johnson the league's best-paid running back, but the 25-year-old says he has not received any contract offers.
And reports suggest that Johnson wants a contract that puts his salary on a par with the richest playmakers in the league, regardless of position.
Johnson has not joined his team-mates for training camp and was missing as the Titans began their pre-season campaign with a 14-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.
"He needs reps. He needs to be in the huddle. He needs to get to know the players," Tennessee head coach Mike Munchak told
The Tennessean on the subject.
Reads
"The quarterbacks (Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker) are both new. He's never been around them. He needs to have offensive linemen in front of him to get his reads. Those are the things he needs.
"The assignment part I don't think will be as tough for him. It's just getting reps and getting his legs used to those cuts and doing the things he needs to do in the NFL."
But Johnson shows no signs of returning to the team until he has agreed a new contract.
He is heading into the fourth of a five-year deal he signed after being selected with the 24th overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft.
He is due to earn around $800,000 this year, but the single-season yards from scrimmage record holder is thought to be demanding an average salary in excess of $10 million.
Johnson also made demands for a new contract last year but was convinced to report after the Titans changed his 2010 salary, raising it by $1.5 million to just over $2 million.
