Oh, the Redskins overpaid a washed up veteran again? Why am I not surprised? This happens every offseason. Larry Johnson wasn’t good last year. He had that one good game in Cincinnati, 107 yards on 22 carries, you should never sign someone for 3 years 12 million based on one game. Take away that one game and he rushed for 474 yards on 156 carries, a bit less than 3 yards per carry. He also didn’t score a touchdown all year. He’s had off the field issues, arrests inappropriate and unnecessary comments about his coaching staff and the gay community, and, from what I hear, he’s also not very pleasant in the locker room. When he was in his last days in Kansas City last year, a group of the fan base grouped together to demand that he be released so that he would not set the Chiefs all time rushing record. This doesn’t sound like a guy I’d want on my team at all. He turns 31 next season and this deal will take him until he’s 33. Unlike Chester Taylor, Larry Johnson’s legs are not still fresh as he has 1421 career carries, 752 of which came in a two year stretch, never a good thing for a running back’s legs. About the signing, Larry Johnson said that he envisioned himself and Clinton Portis as what he and Priest Holmes once were for the Chiefs. Something tells me that a washed up Clinton Portis (soon to be 29 years old, 2176 career carries, coming off of an injury plagued season, 4.0 YPC last year) and a washed up Larry Johnson won’t be anything near what a still somewhat in his heyday Priest Holmes and a young, powerful Larry Johnson were for the Chiefs in 2003-2004. I think the Redskins just made this move because Owner Daniel Snyder was getting antsy sitting on his fat checkbook and had to write a fat check to make a big splash and put the focus back on him. Johnson is not going to contribute to this team in anyway big way next year and I would not be surprised if both Head Coach Mike Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen were against this move. Plus, free agency is supposed to be a bidding type thing. I highly doubt Larry Johnson had a deal anywhere worth anywhere near this much money lined up anywhere else. The Redskins don’t bid and negotiate and bargain, they just throw money.

Grade: D