The Tennessee Titans will release Chris Johnson on Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, citing a source.
UPDATE: The Titans have officially informed Johnson of his release, with general manager Ruston Webster offering the following statement:
“As an organization, we want to thank Chris for his contributions to the Titans. Chris produced many memorable moments, broke franchise records and was durable over his six year career with our team.
“We have had an open dialogue with Chris’ agent, Joel Segal, over the last few weeks, and we appreciate the patience and professionalism they have shown throughout this process. We made an effort to trade Chris but were unable to do so.
“We wish Chris the best and thank him for the six seasons he spent with us.”
Johnson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, rushed for 1,000 or more yards in each of his first six seasons with the Titans and became just the sixth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season in 2009.
Johnson’s production has slowed of late, however, as he rushed for a career-low 1,077 yards in 2013 on just 3.9 yards per carry. With Johnson out of the picture, the rushing load in Tennessee will fall to former New York Jet Shonne Greene and recently acquired Dexter McCluster, as well as backups Jackie Battle and Leon Washington.
Johnson should receive plenty of interest on the free-agent market in the coming days.
