NFL Rumors: Chris Johnson Chooses Arizona Cardinals Over Miami Dolphins

NFL rumors have swirled around Chris Johnson. There were those that believed that he was going to be leaving the Arizona Cardinals to join the Miami Dolphins, a team that lost running back Lamar Miller to the Houston Texans. Johnson would have replaced Miller as the starter and provided balance to the passing attack led by Ryan Tannehill. According to ESPN, though, Johnson decided that it would be best to stick with the Cardinals because they are more of a threat to get to the Super Bowl.

Prior to fracturing his tibia in December, Chris Johnson was having a rather productive season for the Arizona Cardinals. He managed to rack up 814 yards, which is a lot more than what most NFL experts had expected from the former Tennessee Titans star. Johnson is no longer the same running back that amassed 2,006 yards, but he’s still someone that can be productive in the National Football League.

The Miami Dolphins still believe that Chris Johnson can be a workhorse running back in the NFL. In his eight seasons in the National Football League, Johnson has only failed to average more than four yards once. That was during his final season with the Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins believe that Johnson could generate 1,000 yards again if he were to be the featured back, but Chris wasn’t looking to do that for Miami.

Winning in the NFL has apparently become the most important thing to Chris Johnson, a player that was once viewed as a very egotistical and selfish individual. There are reports floating around that Johnson turned down a $6 million salary in order to return to the Arizona Cardinals. The deal that Chris signed with the Cardinals is said to just be a one-year deal worth around $3 million, so that’s quite the pay cut.

One of the reasons why Chris Johnson wanted to return to the Arizona Cardinals is because he is comfortable with the role that head coach Bruce Arians has for him. Instead of being the workhorse running back, he’s going to be the change-of-pace running back. The Cardinals plan on leaning heavily on David Johnson. He’s expected to have a monster season next year by providing balance to the high-octane passing attack led by Carson Palmer.

The Arizona Cardinals looked like one of the best teams in the NFL this past season. If Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers hadn’t been on such a roll, then the Cardinals would have had a really good chance at playing against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. There was no guarantee that their offensive line could have handled the pass rushing assault from Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, but they would have been in the big game.

One thing that might be interesting to pay attention to next season is whether or not Bruce Arians will ask Johnson to play special teams for the Arizona Cardinals. It’s not something that Johnson is used to doing. However, with David Johnson moving to the top of the depth chart at running back, Arians had to remove him from special teams. With only so many active players available during an NFL game, Chris Johnson may need to learn to play special teams.

Chris Johnson becomes the latest NFL player to make a sacrifice to a team so that he can have a chance at winning the Super Bowl. It’s a gamble. Sometimes, it pays off. Other times, it doesn’t. However, the chance of winning that coveted ring is something that will forever cause some players to take the chance. Johnson believes that the Arizona Cardinals give him the best chance.

[Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images]