NFL: Cardinals: Contract talks instead of injury with David Johnson?

The rumour mill around David Johnson has been boiling over the past few days. The Arizona Cardinals’ running back suddenly stopped training, there was speculation about an injury and head coach Steve Wilks covered up – but hinted at injury. According to reports, however, there is something else behind the training break.

NFL network insider Mike Garafolo reported on Friday that Johnson was not injured at all. Instead, the desire for a new contract and the corresponding scanning of both sides should be behind the time-out.

Johnson would now go into the final year of his rookie contract and collect a basic salary of $1.9 million. Garafolo stressed that a new contract should be negotiated before the season starts: “There’s no chance he’ll play for $1.9 million. I know his camp has started thinking about a number.”

Arizona, on the other hand, knows that “if a player can manage 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a season and then become a free agent – then we’re talking about a franchise day. From this perspective, it is also interesting for the team to complete the deal before the season.”