Johnson, Revis In Danger Of Holding Out?

If you’re betting on World Cup odds, it’s probably taking up a lot of your time, but in American football, there are a couple of interesting developments going on with two of the game’s most dynamic young players.  Their teams may end up scrambling to sort out their contracts before the season starts.

Chris Johnson

Last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Johnson was, far and away, the best running back in the league last year.  Johnson’s 2,006 yards on the ground was 590 yards more than St. Louis’ Steven Jackson, and his 22 runs of 20 yards or more was 10 more than Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson.  Johnson’s 358 carries also led the NFL, and he fumbled just three times (by comparison, Peterson had 314 carries and six fumbles).  Johnson also became more of a threat in the passing game as the Titans were trying any way they could to get the ball to their star.  He’s three years into a five-year deal, but this year, he would be paying for $550,000, which would make him one of the worst-paid starters in the league.  Imagine if Lionel Messi sat out a World Cup contest for Argentina; it would be destructive to the team.  It’s the same with Johnson, and normally we’re all for players honoring their contracts.  But Johnson is an amazing talent, and he plays at a position where his shelf life is limited, so he wants to make sure he and his family are taken care of, which is fair.  The Titans need to make this happen, or it’s going to be a long year for Vince Young.
Darrelle Revis

Revis was second to Green Bay’s Charles Woodson, and he finished last year with six picks for the Jets.  In fairness, he probably would have more interceptions, but his side of the field has been dubbed “Revis Island”, because the Jets leave him out there isolated, one-on-one with the league’s best receivers, and Revis locked them down every week.  He wants to be the highest-paid cornerback in the league, which is currently Oakland’s Nmandi Asomugha, and there are few NFL betting players who would say that Asomugha is better than Revis (although it’s not a wide margin by any means, Asomugha is still a great corner).  Asomugha makes $15 million a season, which is outlandish, but that’s what happens when Al Davis is drafting your contract.  Revis could also throw away up to $20 million if he holds out.  Revis is deserving of a new contract, but he may be asking for a bit too much.  There’s no way that Oakland should ever set the market for anything, so we’re going to play a online sports betting wager on Revis being on the field this year.