Chad Javon Johnson (born January 9, 1978), known as Chad Ochocinco from 2008 to 2012, is an American former professional football player. He played as a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Beyond his successful career, Chad Ochocinco, 46, is a dedicated father of eight children. He takes great pride in being an involved parent.
Proud Father Moments
One of his daughters, Chade, recently became an AKA, an achievement that filled Ochocinco with immense pride. “I ain’t never been in no atmosphere like that…being inside that auditorium and watching the energy in that atmosphere, I ain’t never seen nothing like that,” he marveled.
He expressed his emotions, saying, “The AKAs went last…they came out, it was like…you know how the audience go crazy and everybody stand up and go crazy when Michael Jackson come out on stage…and I seen my baby…ooh sh-t I’m bout to cry,” as his eyes became glossy. “…Chade I know you probably watching, yo mama watching. You made your daddy proud."
Active Involvement with His Children
Fans often see him interacting on social media with his youngest child, Serenity Paula Johnson, whom he had with his fiancée Sharelle Rosado on January 2, 2022. Additionally, he posts sweet moments with his other children, too.
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Ochocinco emphasizes his active role in his children's lives, stating, “I think what people fail to realize is I was Nick Cannon before Nick Cannon. I was Future before Future. I’m so active with mine. You see me with mine all the time. All of ’em,” Ochocinco added.
From NFL Star to Media Personality
He is currently a panelist on the weekly highlight show Inside the NFL, a role he has held since the show moved to The CW in 2023. He also co-hosts the podcast Nightcap alongside Shannon Sharpe.
A Football Life Chad Johnson
Career Highlights
Before his transition to media, Johnson had a remarkable NFL career:
- College Career: He played college football for the Santa Monica Corsairs and the Oregon State Beavers.
- NFL Draft: He was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft.
- Teams: He played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots.
- Name Change: Ochocinco, which means "eight five" in Spanish, was also his number.
Early Life and Education
Johnson was born in Miami, Florida. He graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School and briefly attended Langston University. In 1997, Johnson transferred to Santa Monica College, a community college in Santa Monica, California. In 2000, Johnson transferred to Oregon State University, after being aggressively recruited by coach Dennis Erickson to play for the OSU team.
"Who Covered 85 in '05"
During the 2005 NFL season, Johnson announced that he would keep a checklist, titled who Covered 85 in '05, that would evaluate the defensive backs who successfully managed to cover him.
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On November 2, 2005, Marvin Lewis, the Bengals' head coach, replaced Johnson's list with another one titled, Did 85 do everything he could to lead his team to victory 11-6-05. The list, an obvious parody of the original, asked several questions regarding Johnson's performance both on and off the field. Johnson was not pleased with the new list, as he had developed a superstitious faith in the older list.
In 2007, Degree and Yahoo! created an online version of his checklist. The checklist allowed fans to vote for which NFL quarterback Johnson would like to play catch with the most.
Record-Breaking Performance
During the first half of the 2006 season, Johnson saw little activity. After being bogged down by an early injury, his productivity endured a sharp decline. During the first eight weeks of the 2006 season, Johnson caught two touchdown passes, while amassing 483 yards.
However, after shaving his Mohawk and changing his mentality, he had a breakout game in a losing effort against the San Diego Chargers. Johnson accumulated 260 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns, which broke the previous Bengals record for most receiving yards in a game.
He went on to amass 190 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 31-16 win over the New Orleans Saints in the following week. This gave Johnson a then NFL record of 450 receiving yards in back-to-back games (to be surpassed by Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns, who amassed 498 yards in consecutive games in 2013), breaking the previous record of 448 set by San Francisco 49ers receiver John Taylor in 1989.
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Pro Bowl Recognition
In addition to being one of the most productive receivers in the NFL, Johnson was also one of the most popular in balloting for the Pro Bowl. In the fan voting for the 2006 game, he finished first in votes for wide receivers, and fourth overall with 987,650 total votes.
Flamboyant Celebrations
Johnson earned nationwide attention for his flamboyant attitude, which was often seen during his infamous end zone celebrations after catching touchdown passes. In the first game of the season, on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, Johnson scored the game's first touchdown on a 39-yard pass from Carson Palmer.
Following the touchdown, he grabbed a jacket that resembles the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees' jacket that said, "Future H.O.F. 20??" Johnson finished the game with five receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Bengals' Franchise Record
In the next game, against the Cleveland Browns, he racked up 209 yards on 11 catches for two touchdowns in the 51-45 loss. This gave Johnson a career total of 7,229 receiving yards, breaking the Bengals' franchise record previously held by Isaac Curtis.
Head Injury
In the fourth quarter of the Bengals' week-nine loss to the Buffalo Bills, Johnson was rolled off the field on a stretcher, with a reported head injury. He dove out for a pass, with under a minute left in the 33-21 loss, and then was sandwiched by Donte Whitner and Coy Wire. Johnson was reported to be mobile at the hospital. He finished the game with three catches for 48 yards.
Continued Success
Over his next two games, Johnson did not score any touchdowns or gain more than 86 yards, but he had a breakout performance in a November 25 win over the Tennessee Titans, catching a career-high 12 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
By week 15, Johnson and Houshmandzadeh both gained over 1,000 receiving yards for the second year in a row. However, a loss to the San Francisco 49ers that week ensured the team would finish the year with their first losing season since 2002.
Johnson's 1,440 yards set a new Bengals' franchise record, breaking his own record of 1,432 in 2005. It was the third time that Johnson finished a season with a new Bengals record for receiving yards.
Pro Bowl Selection
Johnson was passed up for the 2008 Pro Bowl team, which instead selected his teammate T. J. Houshmandzadeh. Due to injury, however, Patriots' receiver Randy Moss was forced to withdraw from the Pro Bowl, and Johnson was selected as his replacement. The selection marked his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl selection.
Trade Rumors
On January 13, 2008, Johnson was a guest on ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show. During the interview, he addressed how the media and team treated him during the 2007 season, saying, "I was labeled selfish and a cancer, and it hurt...Fingers were pointed at me this year. If the team and the organization wants to further itself (make the playoffs), I think you need to get rid of the problem...It hurt me. To do me that way and not to have my back. Things were said, and nobody came to my defense."
However, head coach Marvin Lewis commented on the issue by saying that the Bengals would not be trading Johnson.
On February 4, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Johnson felt betrayed by Lewis and was privately threatening to sit out the 2008 season, though his agent Drew Rosenhaus denied it.
When asked about trade rumors, Johnson said "Call me, Dan," referring to Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder.
On April 22, the Cincinnati Bengals declined a Washington Redskins trade for Johnson involving a first round 2008 selection and a 2009 selection. and on NFL Network's NFL Total Access, Johnson said he did not want a pay raise from the Bengals, but desired a "change of scenery".
Lewis stated he had not spoken to Johnson since the last regular season game, and reiterated his lack of interest in a trade.
2008 Season
The Bengals began the season 0-8, with Carson Palmer forced out for the season with an injury incurred early in the campaign and Johnson experiencing his worst statistical season of his career to date.
Johnson totaled 11 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown in the first four games of the season, unable to gain more than 37 yards receiving in any of the contests. Following a dismal performance (three receptions for 43 yards) against the Dallas Cowboys in a loss, Johnson had consecutive games with 50-yard receiving totals (57 against the New York Giants and 52 against the Pittsburgh Steelers).
However, the Bengals won their first game of the season, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in week 9 by a score of 21-19.
During the season, Johnson expressed remorse for the developments in the 2008 season and attempted to make it up to the fans in Cincinnati through numerous actions.
2010 Season
Johnson opened up the 2010 season with 12 receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' opening day loss to the Patriots. In doing so, he tied the franchise record for touchdown catches (which he later surpassed) and became the sixth player in NFL history to amass 10,000 receiving yards with one team.
New England Patriots
On July 28, 2011, the New England Patriots acquired Johnson in a trade with Cincinnati after he restructured a three-year contract for $6.35 million.
Johnson had statistically the least productive season of his career, catching 15 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown, all career lows. He was inactive for the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens after reportedly attending his father's funeral.
Johnson played in his first Super Bowl, catching one pass for 21 yards. His 21-yard reception was the longest pass completion for the Patriots in that Super Bowl.
Montreal Alouettes
Johnson signed a two-year deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League on April 17, 2014.
During the 2014 CFL season, Johnson appeared in only five regular season games, mostly due to nagging injuries. He missed two playoff games to address a personal family matter in Florida. In total, he accumulated seven receptions for 151 yards, and scored one touchdown.
Johnson was suspended by the Alouettes after he failed to report for mandatory training camp in the spring of 2015.
Coaching Aspirations
In March 2016, Johnson tweeted to the Cleveland Browns head coach, who was also his former wide receivers coach with the Bengals, Hue Jackson, to ask if he would let Johnson work with the receivers during training camp.
Other Ventures
Due to the 2011 NFL Lockout, on March 16, 2011, Ochocinco announced he would have a four-day trial for Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. Ochocinco was a soccer player in his youth and has stated he is an avid fan of the sport. His trial began on March 23, 2011.
On March 25, he was asked to play in a reserve game. In 2018, Johnson returned to soccer, signing for then-National Premier Soccer League side Boca Raton FC in October after a period of training. On March 12, 2019, Johnson re-signed with Boca Raton FC for the 2019 Spring UPSL season after the team joined the United Premier Soccer League.
On May 24, 2019, Johnson scored both goals in a 2-1 regular season win over the Palm Beach Breakers. Boca Raton FC would go on to win the South Florida Championship of the UPSL.
Media Appearances
He appears on the cover of EA's 2006 video game NFL Street 3. On May 3, 2021, Johnson was added to the undercard for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul fight card in a fight against Brian Maxwell. The fight completed the four two-minute rounds for which it was scheduled.
From July 7, 2025 - July 9, 2025 Johnson hosted the first annual Wideout Workshop event where receivers would work with Johnson on their craft to become better players. Participants included Robbie Chosen, K.J.
On March 1, 2010, it was announced that Johnson would be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season. He was paired with two-time champion Cheryl Burke. He was eliminated from the show as one of the final four competitors on May 18, 2010, after receiving the lowest judges' score and number of votes.
During the 2010-2011 NFL season, he and teammate Terrell Owens teamed up for a talk show, The T. Ocho Show on Versus, talking football, basketball, and pop culture. In 2010, Johnson was featured on his own reality television dating show called Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch on VH1. Aspiring singer-songwriter Rubi Pazmino won the show.
Financial Habits
Ochocinco is widely known for his frugality and focus on financial responsibility. For the first two years of Johnson's tenure with the Bengals, he lived at the Bengals' stadium Paycor Stadium, utilizing the variety of on-site amenities the team provided.
In May 2007, Johnson was sued for allegedly not giving away a Lexus that was supposed to be raffled off.
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