Larry Johnson To Hold Out?

400-carry-a-year running back Larry Johnson is threatening to hold out if he doesn't get a new contract by training camp. This is bad news for the just-hand-it-to-Larry-Johnson offense of the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson tells Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star that, "I'm prepared."

Johnson also stated his beliefs that Chiefs owner Carl Peterson is going to "test" him in the contract negotiations. This could be an intense battle in light of the fact the Chiefs were openly shopping Johnson for a trade earlier this offseason.

Johnson's agent Alvin Keels also spoke with Whitlock telling him why the holdout was necessary. "The point I'd like to get out is that if we were to have to hold out, it would be for the sake of good business, not being greedy. I think the picture that is being painted right now in the eyes of the fans is that we're coming into this negotiation being greedy. It's not good business for a player who rushes the ball 416 times in a season, back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons, back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons, back-to-back broken Kansas City Chiefs records, it's not good business for him to come back in and play for $1.7 million. And that's a sensitive area because $1.7 million is a lot more than most people in Kansas City make."

However, the million dollar question, or 1.7 million dollar question, has to be a question of how good a runner Larry Johnson truly is. We have seen him in the past run with Willie Roaf and Will Shields paving the way for him. In 2006, after the departure of Roaf we saw Larry Johnson's yards per carry average drop .9 yards. Could that be a direct connection to the value of Willie Roaf? Now, if you also take away Will Shields, has Larry Johnson now become just a mediocre back? I think not, but numbers don't lie. This is why the Chiefs want to wait and see how Larry Johnson does without his future Hall of Fame offensive lineman.

However, one has to see Larry Johnson's side of the argument. He does it all for the Chiefs offense. Literally, everything, as he carries the ball over 400 times a season. 400 carries is a ton of carries. He is being paid just $1.7 million to get pounded over 400 times? Not only is that a high number, but Larry Johnson is also running with the entire Chiefs offense on his back.

Many of you would think that saying Larry Johnson will be traded is a joke. Some may think that would be absolutely insane. However, I am telling you it may happen, personally I think it will. The Chiefs seem to believe that they could get great value for Johnson and still have a solid option at running back. I think trading Larry Johnson is a horrific idea, but then again, I'm not the owner about to throw away a ton of cash.

Brandon