Dear Larry Johnson,

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your payday. Today, you ended your 25 day holdout and secured a five year extension worth $45 million, with $19 million of that guaranteed. It’s not LaDainian Tomlinson money, but it’s enough to make those sleepless, sore nights worth it. At this point in your carer, you’ve proved you’re worth the fat salary.

Last year was quite a year for you, wasn’t it Larry? You set the NFL record for most carries in a season with 416. Your name appears ahead of both Jamal Anderson and James Wilder in the NFL record books. What’s that mean? Well, let’s take a look at how Anderson and Wilder fared after their backbreaking groundbreaking seasons. Anderson, known affectionately as “The Dirty Bird,” carried the rock 410 times in 1998, helping the Falcons get all the way to the Super Bowl. The next year, he blew out his knee and never had more than 282 carries in a season again. As for Wilder, who carried the ball 407 times in 1984, it wasn’t much better. After another strenuous workload the following year, he faded into obscurity.

Let’s be honest, Larry. With Herm Edwards running the show in Kansas City, your chances of surviving this workload aren’t very good. Your 752 carries in consecutive years is another NFL record. And trust me, those two years were a lot easier than this one will be. Those teams had Willie Roaf and Will Shields, not to mention a veteran quarterback and elite tight end. This year’s Chiefs feature a rebuilt offensive line, no Trent Green, and a declining Tony Gonzalez. Yay!

Have a fun year, Larry! With that $19 million guaranteed, you’ll be able to afford all the ice your knees can handle.

Sincerely,

Ryan.

With the NFL Draft just two(!) days away, the rumor mill is running at full power. Earlier in the week, nearly every possible move involved the Denver Broncos. The new team to watch on Saturday? The Green Bay Packers. They’re rumored to be in trade talks for both Larry Johnson and Randy Moss.

Word is spreading that the Packers have offered the Chiefs their 1st (16th overall) and 4th round picks in exchange for the star running back. It’s not out of the question to see KC cut ties with a volatile personality and start the rebuilding process. After all, Johnson will be a free agent and he’s already stated that he would like a contract larger than LaDainian Tomlinson’s $60 million contract. Michael Turner is also a name to consider but Johnson’s talks appear more serious at this point.

As if that wasn’t crazy enough, there’s also some talk of Randy Moss and the Packers. It’s hard to see this deal going down, mainly because of the hatred that Packers fans have for Moss. Then again, Terrell Owens plays for the Cowboys and Johnny Damon plays for the Yankees so maybe it’s not that far-fetched. According to RealGM, Moss could very well be a Packer by the end of the weekend. In fact, the deal might be done already.

With this possibly being Brett Favre’s last season, it’d be nice to see him go out with a bang. If the Packers land one of these guys, it’ll make the offensive side of the ball a hell of a lot better. Considering Vernand Morency and Noah Herron are at the top of the depth chart in Green Bay, adding Larry Johnson would be a godsend to this offense. Throw in Randy Moss and you have something scary. Because these are draft rumors, look for both to go unfulfilled. But it’s fun to imagine, right?

With the loss of a couple high-profile lineman, their starting quarterback, and the inevitable aging of their star tight end, the Kansas City Chiefs might be seen as a team over the hill. But even through last year’s struggles, they rode their franchise running back Larry Johnson to the playoffs. But according to the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs are planning on selecting a running back early in the draft to back up Johnson or maybe even replace him.

Oklahoma?s Adrian Peterson, widely considered the top running back available in the draft, did not visit with the Chiefs this week. Neither did some of the other top runners, including Arizona?s Chris Henry, Auburn?s Kenny Irons, Penn State?s Tony Hunt and Alabama?s Kenneth Darby.

The Chiefs were unavailable Thursday to speak about their motives. But the agents for all of the players said the Chiefs told them they planned to draft a running back in an early round.

It’s hard to imagine shopping a guy that’s run for 3539 yards and 37 touchdowns in the last two seasons. But it could be a decent move if the Chiefs can get a good offer. With the retirement of Will Shields and Trent Green’s departure, the Chiefs could be entering a rebuilding period. Tony Gonzalez is getting up there in age and the defense isn’t very good. Do you shop Johnson? After all, he’s coming off an NFL record of 416 carries.

The Chiefs have shown that they’re not against drafting running backs early. After all, Johnson was drafted in the first round, even though the Chiefs had Priest Holmes. He was coming off a 1600 yard season with 21 touchdowns. But think about it, Kansas City. This is a team that has one of the most conservative coaches in the league. Why in the hell would you trade the only thing that resembles offense under Herm Edwards? With the NFL Draft just five days away, it’ll be interesting to see what the Chiefs do.