At long last, Chris Johnson finally will know the experience of attending voluntary workouts with the Tennessee Titans.
The Tennessean reported Wednesday that Johnson plans to report to the team's offseason program Monday or Tuesday. In the past, the running back has chosen to work out privately in Florida before the start of mandatory meetings.
Coincidence or not, this development comes on the heels of a season in which Johnson ran for a career-low 1,047 yards and at times looked like a shell of the three-time Pro Bowl selection he once was. The Titans made it clear they want Johnson with his teammates in Nashville this spring, a request to which he apparently will acquiesce.
According to The Tennessean, the $53.5 million extension that Johnson signed last September stipulates he's required to participate in the majority of the team's offseason workouts or he will be docked $250,000. He is allowed just six absences.
Johnson represents one of the most intriguing players in football heading into the 2012 season. Is he still capable of magic like the 2009 season, when he had 2,500 yards from scrimmage and took the title of "Baddest Running Back Alive?" Or is he a player in decline, a guy who got his money, then promptly lost the drive and/or ability to be great?
The answer to that question might determine if Johnson is a Titan this time next year.
