The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed running back Chris Johnson to a one-year deal.
In 2015, the Arizona Cardinals took the next step as a franchise and asserted themselves as Super Bowl contenders. The team fell short of reaching the Super Bowl by one game, but they know they have a great shot at competing for a chance to reach Super Bowl LI in 2016.
The Cardinals off-season has already gotten off to a fast start this off-season, as the team has acquired pass rusher Chandler Jones and signed guard Evan Mathis to pair with other standout guard Mike Iupati. With the Cardinals making big moves and going all in to try and reach their dreams of winning a Lombardi Trophy, the team re-signed a key contributor from the 2015 season on Thursday.
The team officially announced that it had re-signed running back Chris Johnson to a one-year deal.
After it looked like Johnson’s career was beginning to slow down, he began showing a resurgence with the Cardinals in 2015 and he looked like he had found that burst of speed that made him so dangerous early in his career. Johnson would break his shin late in the season and wouldn’t play in the team’s run to the playoffs, but re-signing him was one of their priorities.
It’s unlikely he will be the starter in 2016 with the emergence of David Johnson, who had 13 touchdowns as a rookie. Johnson took off in the latter stages of the season and established himself as a big, dominant running back in this league.
By bringing Chris Johnson back, the Cardinals have a speed back that come in and change the pace when the younger Johnson comes off the field. After the news came out, Johnson sent out a tweet talking about wanting to win a ring.
I like to thx all the teams that was involved but I we have unfinished business in AZ let's get that ring
— Chris Johnson (@ChrisJohnson28) March 17, 2016
It sure sounds like it was a reunion that both sides wanted to get done. According to Ian Rapoport, Johnson will be paid up to $3 million and that he turned down double the offer from another team.
#AZCardinals RB Chris Johnson received a 1-year deal worth up to $3M, source said. He turned down nearly double that from another team.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2016
At this point in his career, it’s clear Johnson cares more about trying to win then collecting a bigger paycheck from somewhere else.