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The Tennessee Titans released running back Chris Johnson on Friday, providing an expected conclusion to his tenure with the team. Why is this relevant to Buffalo Bills fans, you ask? Because ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Bills were among four teams that discussed a trade for Johnson, but ultimately did not move on him, leading to his release.
Four teams that discussed a potential trade for RB Chris Johnson, but ultimately declined to do so, were the Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Falcons.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2014
ESPN's Paul Kuharsky adds that the Bills and the Dolphins were the teams that came closest to making a trade happen. Ultimately, of course, they did not.
That news comes on the heels of the team's confirmation that they've traded a draft pick - reported to be a sixth-rounder - to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for wide receiver Mike Williams.
Johnson, who will turn 29 this September, has run for over 1,000 yards in each of his six NFL seasons - but he is also coming off of a 2013 campaign in which he averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per rush. In his career, Johnson has accumulated 9,969 yards of offense and 58 touchdowns en route to three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2009.
The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins were also listed by Schefter as teams that discussed a trade for Johnson, and the Jets are considered front-runners for his services now that he is a free agent. Buffalo, meanwhile, appears dead set on addressing the position knowing that both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller could be free agents in less than a year.