The Larry Johnson Free Agent Sweepstakes Begins

Via Rick Maese of the Washington Post comes confirmation that the Redskins will not look to sign Larry Johnson.

This is a minor consolation for Skins fans: at least Dan Snyder isn't foolish enough to snatch up every washed-up big name available — just every other one.

Former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson spoke to Dan Patrick of ESPN Radio yesterday, and had some interesting thoughts on the problems in Kansas City, his own shortcomings, and his future. Sports Radio Interviews provides a full transcript, and below, we give you some excerpts:

On if and why he was unhappy in Kansas City:

“No I don’t think that was the accurate description. I think it was perception more than it was reality. I wasn’t upset. If anybody likes losing, they shouldn’t be playing this game or any game in matter of fact. It’s just for me, it left a bad taste in my mouth every game we were losing. Every game, and every situation was different, but it just felt like you were useless, it felt like you weren’t doing enough for the team to put them in a position to win. And if I was frustrated and upset, it was mainly with myself. Because you feel like for every carry you have to go 60, 70, 80 yards because that’s what it was going to take for us to have a chance, a great chance of winning. And that’s why I think the perception of I was always upset, I was mad, it was mostly that people who do know me, it was more I was putting all that stress on myself because I wanted to put the team on my back and try to take them the whole distance. But it was just wasn’t working out that way this season.”

On if he thinks he has anger issues:

“Nah, it’s not anger issues. I have a competitive issue. I like to win and I like to put myself in situations where I always want to win, no matter what it is. And you know, I think sometimes that gets the best of me. And you know, I think sometimes that gets the best of me and I become overly competitive and try to control every little thing I can to make sure I’m winning or everybody around me is going to win. So, sometimes you know, I lose myself and that, and understanding that I don’t have to try to win every battle.”

On why a team should give him a chance:

“I mean, I still feel I got a lot of tread left on my tires. I still feel I can play this game at a high level. If anybody’s ever looked at me block, well they used to say I couldn’t pass block. I think I pass blocked a lot better than I have in previous seasons. There’s certain things that weren’t working, like we had offensive linemen that were hurt, we had a new offense that was coming in. So there were a lot of adjustments that were made, but the one thing that is still true is I’m still going to try to run hard every play, and I’m still going to try to pick up blitzes no matter who they are or where they’re coming from. And I think that’s the bottom line when it comes to me. The biggest thing is you know you got $20, $30, $40 million dollar quarterbacks, and they’re not going to just put back there anybody who can’t pass protect. So I took a lot of pride in that trying to get that better as if I was going to get released – would somebody hang their hat on something, they’d hang their hat on me being a better pass blocker.”

There are plenty of things about the Larry Johnson situation that are depressing, but this might be worst of all: here’s Johnson, formerly considered one of the two or three best running backs in the game, bragging about his pass blocking skills in hopes of catching on with a contender. Really? It’s come to that? Apparently so.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his front office staff have had internal discussions regarding signing Larry Johnson, but nothing more than that:

On a conference call with area reporters, coach Bill Belichick and director of player personnel Nick Caserio both addressed Johnson, who was released by the Chiefs earlier this week, by saying that they will talk as an organization, and then come to a decision.

"We’ll discuss that organizationally this afternoon," Belichick said. "We’ll decide then if there’s anything we want to do. To be honest with you, we’ve just been focused on Indianapolis, and our pro people are figuring that out.

Belichick said earlier in the week he “doubts” the Patriots will sign Johnson:

"Well, I haven’t seen the wire but I assume he’ll be on there — I would doubt it," Belichick said of Johnson. "First of all, I think a player like that that’s on the wire, similar to [wide receiver] Chris Chambers who came on last week, somebody will get ahead of us. Even if we claim him, I doubt that we would get him. We have to decide whether we would want him or not. Maybe that’s something we’ll talk about, but I would think he’d be claimed before he would get to us."

Perhaps this means Belichick and the Pats will grab LJ and try to turn him around. The Patriots have gone that route before, most notably with Randy Moss. The Patriots acquired Moss for a 4th-round draft pick from the Raiders after Moss was seen as a distraction and past his prime. That trade has turned out to be one of the best the Patriots have ever made.

According to Jason La Canfora’s Twitter page -- and contrary to Adam Schefter's report earlier in the day -- the Houston Texans are first in line to sign Larry Johnson:

Houston making a good push for Larry Johnson. favorites to get him at this point. Washington and Patriots possibilities, too.

The Steelers, meanwhile, aren’t — nor do they want to be — in the running for LJ:

Some people spending/wasting time talking about LJ wanting to go to Steelers. But they have no interest in him. Moot point.

So much for the reports that the Texans were considering bringing in Larry Johnson to bolster their sputtering rushing attack. According to Adam Schefter, the Texans have ruled out signing Johnson.

With Houston apparently out of the picture, it’s unclear which team, if any, would be willing to take a flier on the troubled former Chief. Considering Johnson’s toxic attitude, it’s difficult to imagine a team taking a chance on him unless they have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Unfortunately for Johnson, most playoff-caliber teams are set at running back. Schefter speculates that Philadelphia or Pittsburgh could be potential destinations (the latter because of Johnson’s ties to the area), with Arizona and Green Bay as potential darkhorses.

Still, given Johnson’s well-deserved reputation as a locker room cancer, and the fact that he’d have to learn a new playbook midway through the season (not to mention his historically poor play), it wouldn’t be altogether shocking to see him remain unsigned.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that former Chiefs running back Larry Johnson went unclaimed on waivers, and will become a free agent.

While the Redskins have apparently thought better of reaching out to embattled former Chief Larry Johnson, at leaset one other team is reportedly mulling bringing him in: the Houston Texans.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are in the midst of internal discussions over whether they should sign Johnson. The team’s struggles running the ball — particularly at the goal line and with holding onto the ball — could make Johnson worth the risk for a team trying to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

SBN's Texans blog, Battle Red Blog, is not convinced, however, that Johnson is a worthwhile gamble for the Texans:

I personally hope this is just Kubiak and company doing their due diligence.  Larry Johnson is exactly the kind of person you try to keep out of your locker room.  It isn't a recent development either; Johnson had a history of acting up with the Herman Edwards administration as well.  And what do you get at this point in his career for your troubles?  2.7 yards per carry.  Granted, the Chiefs' offensive line is abysmal, so he might do better elsewhere, but I don't think he is worth the risk.

Johnson will clear waivers at 4 P.M. today. If no team claims him, he will be free to sign with the team of his choice.

SB Nation’s Arrowhead Pride is all over the release of Larry Johnson, which includes a look at what the legacy of L.J. in K.C. will be. In part:

Nearly 6,000 yards later, Johnson’s legacy is over. And it’s a tarnished one, for sure. The issues were many in the LJ years and made many within the fan base cringe with each statement to the press, each interview, each Tweet. From Dick Vermeil to Herm Edwards to Todd Haley, each coach had to deal with the baggage that came with one of the franchise’s greatest running back ever. And up until now, it’s always been worth it. It’s a shame it had to go down this way. […]

How LJ will be remembered is a perplexing situation. With final memories like the ones he most recently made, with Twitter references making stabs at gays and the working-class fan, it likely won’t be sunny anytime soon. It’s not like a Brett Favre situation where he was heavily booed earlier this year, yet we all know the cheers and heartwarming greetings will await him in Green Bay when he’s finally done in the NFL. For LJ, some are even already protesting his place in the Ring of Honor, even though those same fans enjoyed the success he brought on-field for the last several years.

Perhaps time will heal these wounds. And perhaps LJ will gain some perspective (or at least some PR advice) and say the right things once the tensions have settled.

Regardless of his legacy, Johnson was certainly another example of the incredibly small window of greatness that NFL running backs have available to them. Although LJ experienced his decline a bit earlier than most (age 28 instead of 30-ish), it came after carrying the ball 752 times in 2005-06. In the three seasons since then, he attempted a combined total of just 483 carries.

As tweeted by SI’s Peter King, the monetary reason for cutting Larry Johnson is that the Chiefs would owe him nearly $500,000 in roster bonus if they kept him the rest of the season. This is also one of the reasons why it seems unlikely to ESPN’s Adam Schefter than any team will put a claim in on Johnson:

Any team claiming LJ would have to pay him $2.1 million in base salary and another 500k roster bonus. More likely, each team passes there.

If on team claims him, LJ becomes a free agent, at which point a team could potentially take a chance on him for a discounted price.

The Larry Johnson Era in K.C. has come to its conclusion Monday morning, as the team has announced on its official website that the RB is no longer a Chief. Johnson, who will be the dreaded 30 years old in 10 days, will now enter waivers with any team having a chance to claim his 2.7 yards per carry.

Over at SB Nation's Arrowhead Pride, they have a list of LJ's highlights over his six-year span as a Chief.

The Chiefs and Larry Johnson seem to have found an acceptable compromise: while his two-week suspension is upheld, he will only miss out on a week’s worth of pay. Just days ago it seemed as though the Chiefs were planning to release Johnson, but as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio says, things are far from decided.

There was speculation that a settlement could include Johnson’s release, but it remains unclear what the Chiefs will do with him once he’s eligible to return. Reading the tea leaves, it looks like Johnson could be stuck in Kansas City for the rest of the season, even if his playing time is reduced.

For more on the suspension settlement, head to Arrowhead Pride for their take on the situation.

Via Arrowhead Pride, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King speculates that Larry Johnson will be back with the Chiefs in the not-too-distant future.

“I don’t think it’s going to get that far,” when asked if a settlement will mean the end of LJ in Kansas City. “This is just my guess, but first of all, I think one thing you don’t want to do when you’re establishing a new team, is give players on the team who might be dissatisfied with where they are, you don’t want to give them a blueprint with a way to shoot their way out of town.”

Arrowhead Pride has plenty to add to Mr. King’s comments.

Another step to nowhere has been taken in the Chiefs' dispute with Larry Johnson.  Johnson has now officially filed a grievance against the team.
From NFL.com:

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson has filed a non-injury grievance against the Chiefs, who suspended him for two weeks on Wednesday for comments on the social networking site Twitter and in the locker room.[...]

Johnson also filed for an expedited hearing through the players union, in which an independent arbitrator could rule on the team’s punishment at some point next week. The Chiefs and Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, have engaged in settlement talks, according to The Kansas City Star, as a means to reach an accord before a hearing takes place.

Johnson, according to a source, doesn’t want to miss the nearly $600,000 in game checks he would lose during his suspension. He also wants to play, according to the source. Should a settlement be reached, the grievance hearing would be voided.

LJ's dilemma has taken so many turns to nowhere that this is just another bullet point in a list of problems.

The situation regarding Larry Johnson and the Chiefs remains murky. The Kansas City Star reports that Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, is preparing an appeal of Johnson’s two-week suspension. Additionally, Schaffer and the team are working on a settlement.

While Schaffer did not elaborate on the nature of the proposed settlement, it seems likely it would be a buyout of some sort. Johnson’s salary this year is guaranteed, so if the Chiefs do release him, they will owe him roughly $2.6 million for the remainder of the season. A buyout would obviously lessen the financial hit on the team, while giving Johnson the freedom to ply his services elsewhere. Whether any other teams would be interested in Johnson is less clear. Granted, the Chiefs’ offensive line has been putrid, but he is in the middle of the worst season an NFL running back has ever had.

LJ is averaging 2.7 yards/average. That’s not pedestrian. That’s not even bad. That’s historically bad. In this year alone, it’s so far below the next worst (Steve Slaton at 3.13) starting back that it’s laughable. But it’s when you zoom the lens back where things get really… well, you decide.

…here’s the historical perspective… if you project out LJ’s stats to an entire NFL season, it would be the single worst season by a running back in NFL history. Johnson already has 132 carries and was on track for 302. With the suspension, that obviously won’t happen and he might not run any more this year. But consider this, no running back has ever, EVER averaged 2.7 yards per carry as a starting running back in the NFL.

With that knowledge, maybe LJ caused all this controversy on purpose to deflect attention from his stats. Yeah…probably not.

It looks like Larry Johnson will not be accepting his punishment quietly. According to ProFootballTalk.com, agent Peter Schaffer said the following:

"We will be filing an appeal tomorrow." [...] "It is our belief that the action did not warrant the discipline unilaterally imposed by the Chiefs. We’ll be asking for an expeditied hearing, and hopefully we can work out a positive, mutual resolution with the Chiefs. If not, we’ll defer to the arbitrator’s decision. Larry’s desire is to get back to his teammates as soon as he can."

Because the suspension was from the team, the case will be ruled by a private party rather than Commissioner Goodell.  For more discussion check out Arrowhead Pride, our Chiefs blog .

According to Kent Babb, reporter for the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs have suspended Larry Johnson for two weeks. The move will force him to forfeit his paychecks for the next two weeks, worth an estimated $660,000.

We have a couple of updates to last night’s report from RealGM.com that Larry Johnson will be cut by the Chiefs. Both come via SB Nation’s Arrowhead Pride.

First up, ESPN2 apparently reported this morning that LJ will not be cut this week. The reasoning? The team doesn’t want to give the impression that players can punch their own ticket out of K.C. by “acting out.” Also, their deadline for making roster moves each week is Tuesday at 4 p.m. If they cut a player before that deadline, they do not have to pay their salary for that given week. So perhaps they’ll wait until next Monday to cut Johnson.

Also, from K.C. Star’s Kent Babb comes this tweet:

Considering everything I’ve heard, and mixing in some logic gathered from the team’s “investigation,” I don’t think LJ will be cut this wk.

So, this whole story may be on pause until next week, it seems.

Real GM’s Jeff Ridson has the story: According to a team source, the Chiefs are planning to cut ties with Larry Johnson for good. Johnson was previously suspended for freaking out at his head coach and making homophobic slurs in the meantime. Now, it appears the Chiefs are completely fed up.

More on this as it becomes available. Nice work, Larry.

While we await the findings of the Chiefs internal investigation into what Larry Johnson did, or didn’t say, and how long he’ll be suspended, we can sit back and enjoy the outburts of former KC coach Marty Schottenheimer. Here’s a taste of what he had to say on his SIRIUS NFL radio show today:

“Maybe he thinks that he can force his way out (of Kansas City). Let me ask you this, of the other 31 teams in the National Football League, who in the world is going to bring him into their locker room?

“Whether they’re losing or, certainly they won’t if they’re winning. But, to me, the guy doesn’t have the skill level to warrant the kind of b.s. that they’re putting up with out there and I would not be surprised to see them run him right out of town.”

Just a sec, Mr. Schottenheimer: you mean to tell me there wouldn’t be 31 teams lining up to sign a 30-year-old, 2.7 YPC running back? You jest.