Chris Johnson’s storied career will be immortalized in Tennessee this season.
The Titans announced Friday that the All-Pro running back will be inducted into the Ring of Honor at halftime of Tennessee’s Week 1 game against the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Tennessee’s announcement comes just weeks after Johnson, 40, revealed his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever be a leader in our record books, but the man behind the plate deserves just as much credit. We look forward to welcoming him home on September 13th and officially inducting him into the Titans Ring of Honor.”
Drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2008 draft, Johnson enjoyed a historic start to his career. Johnson, who became a Pro Bowler and the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year, led the league with 2,006 rushing yards and 2,509 receiving yards the following season. His statistical production earned Johnson the iconic nickname “CJ2K,” and the RB was named Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Pro honors.
The three-time Pro Bowler left the club after the 2013 season after amassing 7,965 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns in 95 games. Johnson retired with 9,651 rushing yards, 11,906 yards from scrimmage and 64 total touchdowns in 130 career games played with the Titans, Jets and Cardinals.
Johnson revealed his ALS diagnosis last month in an interview with Good morning America. He told former NFL player Michael Strahan that he received the diagnosis in 2025 and now uses a speech-generating machine powered by his eyes to speak.
ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Degeneration of motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to death.
“This has continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said last month. “A little over a year ago I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she wanted her birthday cake. Today I couldn’t.”
Since news of Johnson’s diagnosis broke, current and former NFL players and others around the sports world have taken up the previously dormant “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” in support of their colleague.
Johnson will join 19 other Oilers and Titans greats in the Ring of Honor, including former owner Bud Adams, fellow RBs Earl Campbell and Eddie George and Johnson’s former coach Jeff Fisher.