Report: Cardinals RB Johnson to sit out minicamp

Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson is skipping this week's mandatory minicamp in a bid to secure a new contract, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday.

Johnson, who was absent from Tuesday's opener of minicamp, is set to make a base salary of $1.8 million in the final year of his rookie contract this season.

"Cardinals' RB David Johnson is a holdout for this week's mandatory minicamp that begins today, per league sources," Schefter wrote on Twitter. "The two sides have been in discussions regarding a new contract and are hopeful a new deal will be reached before the start of the season."

Johnson is eligible to be fined $84,435 for not taking part in the three practices.

The 26-year-old Johnson missed nearly the entire 2017 season after suffering a dislocated wrist in Week 1.

A third-round draft choice out of Northern Iowa in 2015, Johnson burst onto the NFL scene by joining Gayle Sayers as the only rookies with at least four rushing and four receiving touchdowns along with a kick return for a scorer.

Entrenched as the starter in 2016, Johnson rushed for 1,239 yards and amassed 16 touchdowns. He also caught 80 passes for 879 yards and four scores at Arizona had the league's sixth-highest scoring offense (26.1 points).

However, the injury in the 2017 season opener revealed Johnson's impact on the offense -- the Cardinals averaged nearly eight points fewer than in 2016.