" There are over 2800 NFL players presently under contract and in training camps – a number that will be reduced by roughly 900 within a couple of weeks. Then there is one player who is under contract but not in training camp: Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.

Johnson's holdout is about what every holdout is about – money – and trying to leverage a new and improved contract. Interestingly, I have heard much support for Johnson in his decision to not honor his contract. Many say to me "Normally I side with management, but this is different."

Background

Johnson is not one of these stories of a player making very little money due to being drafted late. He was the 24th pick in the first round in 2008, signing a five-year, $12 million contract with $7 million guaranteed.

Although the new ten-year CBA has curbed the excesses at the top, it does nothing to address the real problem with rookie contracts: players in their third and fourth years (Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Matt Forte, etc.) are saddled with salaries nowhere near reflective of their actual value and with little upside.

Johnson sits with two years remaining on his contract at salaries of $800,000 and $2 million. Last year, knowing this problem was brewing but unable to reward Johnson with a top of market contract due to the 30% rule – explained here – the Titans bumped Johnson up by $1.5 million. That temporary band-aid has fallen off, with the Titans probably thinking, "no good deed goes unpunished.""