For just about every team in the NFL, it is a dance trying to get players to sign before training camp and avoid holdouts. Players conversely are also under pressure to sign before training camp so as to avoid looking like a money-grubber putting pay over team unity. It is a game of who-will-break-first chicken that repeats itself every offseason. The Tennessee Titans weren’t excluded from the push-and-pull this offseason with running back Chris Johnson, but both sides finally came to a happy medium and inked a deal.

The deal will have Johnson paid $2 million for the 2010 season. Since Johnson is an All-Pro, it is understandable that he was dissatisfied with his 2010 contract, which had a base salary of $550,000. NFL.com points out that pay would have put him as the lowest paid Titans running back in 2010. Even though he received a bigger payout for 2010, the negotiations could repeat themselves next offseason, since he has a base salary of $800,000 in 2011 and $960,000 in 2012. Presumably, the reason behind the Titans not renegotiating the rest of his contract comes from the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement following the 2010 season. It is still unclear what the lack of a new CBA will mean for the 2011 season, but franchises have been hesitant to ink many long-term contracts this offseason.

Prior to the new deal, Johnson wasn’t in attendance at any of the Titans OTAs or the minicamp. With a new contract, he should be on track to show up for the Titans’ training camp, which starts on July 31. Johnson is in his third season with the Titans. He was selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 24th overall pick. Since then, he has been proving his worth, chasing NFL records and earning recognitions. Last season, he started every regular season game and finished with 2,006 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 503 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Johnson isn’t the only Titan with something to celebrate. The team’s defensive coordinator, Chuck Cecil, was recently inducted into the College Football Brand Cialis Hall of Fame. Cecil was a defensive back at the University of Arizona, where he started as a walk-on and earned his way to an All-American. After his standout college experience, Cecil moved on to the NFL, playing safety for the Green Bay Packers from 1988 to 1992, earning himself a trip to the Pro Bowl. He also played for the Phoenix Cardinals and Houston Oilers before retiring. He started coaching with the Titans in 2001 as a defensive assistant coach and became the defensive coordinator in 2009.

After training camp, the Titans kick off their preseason on Saturday, Aug. 14 in Seattle against the Seattle Seahawks. They follow with preseason games against the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Their first home game will be at home on Sept. 12 against the Oakland Raiders. This is a season fans won’t want to miss, and fans can find Tennessee Titans tickets online.

Author Bio: This article was sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater productions. Go to StubHub.com for Tennessee Titans tickets.

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