ESPN’s Schefter: Chris Johnson will likely join the Arizona Cardinals
Aug 14, 2015, 6:29 PM
New York Jets running back Chris Johnson warms up before an NFL football game between the Jets and the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
(AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Chris Johnson is likely to become an Arizona Cardinal this weekend, according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
The free agent running back will visit with the Cardinals and take a physical, Schefter reported. If all goes as planned, he will sign with the team.
RB Chris Johnson likely to sign with #AZCardinals if weekend visit goes well, per @AdamSchefter: http://t.co/jKUuUEXerN
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) August 15, 2015
Earlier in the week, it was rumored the Cards made an offer to Johnson, but it seemed like the answer was no after silence from Johnson and his camp. ESPN’s John Clayton speculated on the Doug and Wolf Show Friday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that he wouldn’t sign with Arizona because the offer wasn’t high enough.
“Maybe he wants more than the minimum — you can understand that,” Clayton said. “He’s had a 2,000-yard season once and he’s a proud guy — but if you get signed now, you get pretty much the minimum. That’s maybe something he didn’t want to do.”
The Cardinals could use help in their running game — they averaged 3.29 yards per rush last season which is the lowest in the league. Johnson, 29, played last season with the New York Jets, gaining 663 yards on 155 carries. It was the first time in his seven-year career that he didn’t run for 1,000 or more yards.
Johnson led the league in 2009 with 2,006 yards on 358 carries, becoming just the sixth player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard plateau. Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson became the seventh by running for 2,097 in 2012.
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