Chris Johnson, who has a 2,000-yard season on an NFL resume loaded with splash plays, is a free agent.

  The former All-Pro wasn't exactly happy with the way the New York Jets used him in 2014, and he voiced his opinion on the matter this week on The Rich Eisen Show. 

  "When I sat down and talked to Rex before I signed with the Jets, my role and my situation was going to be totally different to what actually happened," Johnson said. "It was never the type of thing where I was just being outplayed or anything like that. It was never a situation where I had the opportunity to show my talents and be used the way that I was supposed to be used."

  At 29 years old, what will the future hold for the still-occasionally threatening running back? 

  Let's take a glance at how he transferred lightning speed to incredible NFL production during his career.

  Igniting in Indy

  In what was lauded as an especially deep running back class with huge names like Darren McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall and Felix Jones, Johnson, out of lesser-known East Carolina, needed to drop jaws at the 2008 Combine.

    On film, his speed was clearly his strongest attribute as a runner...but how fast was he? 

  Incredibly, stupid fast.

  Wide receiver Jerome Mathis and cornerback Stanford Routt had broken the 4.30 mark in the 40-yard-dash, but in the "modern" era, no participant had even sniffed an official 4.25. 

  Until Johnson. 

  He blistered the field-turf at Lucas Oil Stadium with an electric -- literally and figuratively -- time of 4.24.

   (Johnson's 1.40-second 10-yard split is as about as close as a human can get to running like said human was shot out of a cannon. Odell Beckham Jr.'s 10-yard split last year was 1.50.)

   Because he shattered a record in the most famous individual athletic event of the entire football calendar, Johnson morphed into a national star if for nothing more than his pure, freakish, almost unfathomable speed.

   Instant success

   In the 2008 Draft, Arkansas' Darren McFadden went No. 4 overall to the Oakland Raiders. Oregon's Jonathan Stewart went No. 13 overall to the Carolina Panthers. Then, McFadden's teammate, Felix Jones, was off the board at No. 22 overall to the Dallas Cowboys. Immediately after him, Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

   Finally, after what seemed like an overbearingly long wait in Round 1, Johnson was snagged by the Tennessee Titans, a team that had been desperately looking for a steady feature back ever since thunderous runner Eddie George left in 2003.

   Johnson instantly became the offensive focal point for Jeff Fisher's squad. 

   He carried the ball 251 times as a rookie and accumulated 1,228 yards (4.9 yards per rush) with nine scores on the ground. He also caught 43 passes for an additional 260 yards as a receiver. The Titans stunned the NFL world by going 13-3 and winning the AFC South. Though they were upset in the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens, everyone was pretty sure Johnson had superstar potential.

   CJ2K

     Hype was quickly building around Tennessee's dynamic ball-carrier heading into his second NFL campaign, and, yeah, he exceeded the hype by a wide margin.

     The Titans lost to the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 13-10 on opening night, and Johnson mustered 57 yards on 15 carries in defeat. He then erupted for 197 yards against the Houston Texans the following week and had a relatively cool end to September that continued into mid-October.

    Then, Johnson went absolutely bonkers. 

   Here's what his game log looks like from November 1 through the end of that regular season:

  

Chris Johnson's amazing 2008 season
Opponent Outcome Carries Yards YPC TDs
Jaguars W 30-13 24 228 9.5 2
49ers W 34-27 25 135 5.4 2
Bills W 41-17 26 132 5.08 2
Texans W 20-17 29 151 5.21 0
Cardinals W 20-17 18 154 8.56 1
Colts L 17-27 27 113 4.19 0
Rams W 47-7 28 117 4.18 2
Dolphins W 27-24 29 104 3.59 0
Chargers L 17-42 21 142 6.76 1
Seahawks W 17-13 36 134 3.72 2
AVERAGES   26.3 141 5.619 1.2

   Counting a 17-carry, 128-yard game against the New England Patriots on October 18, Johnson became the first running back in NFL history to accumulate more than 125 yards on the ground at 5.0-plus yards per carry in six consecutive games.

   For more perspective on how much insane explosiveness Johnson brought that year, consider the following: 

   He accounted for 15 plays of more than 30 yards and 10 of more than 40 yards in 2009. When Adrian Peterson won the MVP in 2012 after rushing for 2,097 yards, he had only 10 plays of more than 30 yards and eight of more than 40. 

   When Jamal Lewis reached the 2,000-yard plateau in 2003, he had seven 30-plus yard plays and six rushes or receptions of more than 40 yards.

   Essentially, Chris Johnson's 2,006-yard campaign as an NFL sophomore was Roger Maris' 61-HR season of 1961. 

   (I'm leaving steroids out of this -- you get my drift.)

   Also, Johnson's 2,509 yards from scrimmage broke Marshall Faulk's NFL record and still stands today.

Chris Johnson put together one of the greatest seasons ever for an RB in 2008. (Getty Images)
Chris Johnson put together one of the greatest seasons ever for a RB in 2008. (Getty Images)

   The contract dispute

   After a 1,364-rushing yard, 11-touchdown 2010 season, Johnson wanted more money, and rightfully so. 

   He was the NFL's leading rusher since 2008 and was playing a position with a short shelf life. Set to make just slightly over $1M in 2011, he was grossly underpaid, especially considering Adrian Peterson's rookie contract was a five-year deal with an average base salary of $8.1 million and a total guaranteed sum of $17 million.

   Well within his rights, Johnson held out of training camp. 

   On September 1, dangerously close to the start of the regular season, Johnson appeared at the Titans' facility and signed his name on a four-year, $53.5 million contract with $30 million guaranteed.

   Recent production

     Johnson's yards-per-carry average dipped to 4.0 in 2011 but jumped to 4.5 in 2012 with the struggling Titans. In 2013, he averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry for the first time as a professional but made $12 million in base salary and signing bonus.

   He represented only $1 million in dead money for 2014, so he was cut by the team that drafted him on April 4.

    The New York Jets hopped on Johnson two weeks later. The two sides agreed on a two-year deal with a $3 million signing bonus. 

   As more of a change-of-pace runner with Gang Green, Johnson accumulated 663 yards on 155 carries (4.3 yards per rush), which was nearly 100 fewer carries than he'd ever received in a single season.

   On February 15, the newly-hired Jets front office declined the second-year option on his contract, which made him a free agent.

    What's Next? Johnson will be 30 in September, which, to most teams, means he's a certified senior citizen. 

   Is the former 2,000-yard rusher a 15-to-20 carry per game back anymore? After 2,193 touches from scrimmage in the NFL, no, probably not. 

   But can he help a team as a No. 2 or No. 3 runner to hit long gains on pitches and screens? 

   Yeah, I think so. 

   However, this year's running back draft class is as deep as that famed 2008 class was, so Johnson will likely have to settle for a contract not nearly as lucrative as he desires.

   Regardless of what happens, Johnson's power-hitting prime that came after his outrageous 4.24 in the 40-yard dash won't be forgotten. 

   He's the only player to score a touchdown of 50, 60, and 80 yards in one game -- 2009 game vs. Texans, and the only runner with six touchdown scampers of more than 80 yards. No other player has more than three. 

   Though his reputation as a productive back has taken a hit of late, Chris Johnson will go down as one of the most dangerous big-play runners in NFL history.