Chris Johnson says Titans ‘did me wrong’ with timing of release

New York Jets running back Chris Johnson looks back fondly on his time with the Tennessee Titans, but not on how his six-year tenure there ended.

Johnson remains angry that the Titans waited until early April to cut him rather than a month earlier when more lucrative opportunities would be awaiting him at the start of the NFL’s free-agent signing period.

“I think they were just being nasty to be honest,” Johnson told co-host Keith Bulluck and me Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I love Tennessee. I love my fans. But at the end of the day I think they did me wrong.

“I don’t know whether it was, ‘We’re going to get revenge on you for holding out’ when I held out the whole (2011) training camp or whatever, but I feel like they already knew they were going in a different direction.”

ESPN reported the Titans were involved in trade discussions before Johnson’s release although a deal seemed highly unlikely because of his $8 million base salary in 2014. Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt told the Tennessean in late March that the franchise was “trying to do what’s best for the team … We’re certainly sensitive to try and resolve this whole deal sooner than later.”

The resolution didn’t come until just before the Titans began their offseason workout program. Had he reported and suffered an injury that would have forced Johnson to miss the 2014 season, Tennessee would have been responsible for his entire $8 million base salary.

“They weren’t right, but God don’t like ugly so it all worked out for the best,” Johnson said.

Read more at Fox Sports.