Titans, Johnson reach 4-year deal

Football: Chris Johnson has agreed to a contract extension with the Tennessee Titans worth $56 million over six years, ending the three-time Pro Bowl running back’s holdout.

“He’ll sign tomorrow and take his physical and be ready to start practicing,” Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said Thursday. “It was a tough negotiation, but both sides gave some and we got it done.”

Johnson has led the NFL in yards rushing the past three seasons and refused to report to the camp without a new deal.

The Titans revised his contract a year ago moving some money up in his contract, but he still was set to earn only $1.065 million for this season.

Now the running back will be under contract through 2016, and the revised deal has $30 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Associated Press

Chiefs open preseason today

Hockey: The Spokane Chiefs have more than enough bodies to fill a bus as they head to Everett to begin their preseason schedule.

The Chiefs are looking at 31 players in the three-game tournament, which begins today at 3 p.m. against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Spokane faces the host Silvertips Saturday night at 7 and meets Portland at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Chiefs will play seven exhibition games before their Western Hockey League season opener at Tri-City on Sept. 24.

After Everett, three drafted players (Brenden Kichton, Dominik Uher and Darren Kramer) head to NHL camps while the Chiefs play two games in the Tri-City tournament. Their lone home exhibition is Sept. 15.

• The Chiefs reassigned three players on Thursday: goaltender Kevin Jacyna (’93) to Calgary, Alberta; defenseman Jeremy McIntosh (’95) to AAA Midget in Alberta; and center Jarid Hauptman (’94) to the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Dave Trimmer