Now that the Titans have made it official that they will be releasing running back Chris Johnson, there’s no need for any team interested in his services making a trade with Tennessee.
The teams that might have had interest in a deal would presumably give us some idea of which teams might pursue him as a free agent, however. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reported earlier that the Jets, Giants and Cowboys were on that list and Adam Schefter of ESPN also reports that the Jets discussed the deal. Schefter adds that the Dolphins, Bills and Falcons also did.
PFT reported last weekend, via a source with knowledge of the situation, that the Falcons aren’t interested in bringing Johnson aboard although that doesn’t mean that they didn’t discuss a deal at some point. The Bills have C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson already, so a move for Johnson might lead another productive back to hit the market. The Dolphins just signed Knowshon Moreno to go with Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas, but reports out of Miami indicate that they’re in the market for another runner in the draft.
The actual market for Johnson’s services should become more clear in the coming days as teams can start to negotiate with him directly rather than trying to figure out a trade for a player who was set to make $8 million in 2014.