The Tennessee Titans will induct former running back Chris Johnson into the franchise’s Ring of Honor during halftime of their 2026 season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 13 at Nissan Stadium, the team announced Thursday.
The ceremony comes weeks after Johnson, 40, publicly revealed he has been diagnosed with ALS. Johnson was diagnosed last year and the disease has progressed rapidly; he now uses his eyes to operate a speech-generating device. He shared the diagnosis in an interview with Michael Strahan on ABC’s Good Morning America earlier this month.
“I want people to know I am still me,” Johnson said. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am. If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope, it is worth it.”
Johnson was the Titans’ first-round pick in 2008 and played six seasons in Tennessee, rushing for 7,965 yards and 58 touchdowns across 95 games. He made three Pro Bowls during that span. The number that defines him, though, is 2,006 — his 2009 rushing total, which made him the sixth player in NFL history to clear 2,000 yards in a single season. That year he also set the league’s single-season record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage, won Offensive Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-Pro honors.
For context on how absurd that 2009 season was: Johnson averaged 5.6 yards per carry and accounted for 63.5% of Tennessee’s total offense. The yards-from-scrimmage record still stands 17 years later, through peak Adrian Peterson, prime Christian McCaffrey, and every spread-era offense that followed. It is one of the most durable records in the sport.
“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration. We look forward to welcoming him home on Sept. 13 and officially inducting him into the Titans Ring of Honor.”
Johnson finished his 10-year NFL career with 9,651 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns, plus 2,255 receiving yards and nine receiving scores. After leaving Tennessee following the 2013 season, he played for the Jets, Cardinals, and Dolphins before retiring after the 2017 season.
In 2024, Johnson was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He told TennesseeTitans.com that year that Nashville had become a second home. “I love Tennessee,” he said. “I come back all the time. The city embraced me, the fans loved me. Everyone around the city — and the whole state, for that matter — embraced me.”
Johnson has four children, including twin sons, and has remained involved in Titans events since retiring. He co-hosted the “Smash & Dash” podcast with former teammate LenDale White — the two formed the Titans’ backfield tandem during Johnson’s early years, when White was the short-yardage hammer and Johnson was the home-run threat.
Johnson will become the 20th member of the Titans Ring of Honor. Former radio analyst and assistant coach Dave McGinnis is also scheduled for induction, posthumously, at a home game later in the season.
The timing of Johnson’s honor — arriving not long after his ALS disclosure — gives the Sept. 13 ceremony a weight that goes beyond career retrospectives. The franchise’s all-time leading rusher will be honored at midfield while navigating a disease that has already taken his voice.
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