Chad Javon Johnson (born January 9, 1978), known as Chad Ochocinco from 2008 to 2012, is a former American professional football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons.
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.
Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson Funniest Mic'd Up Moments
Chad Johnson with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006
Early Life and College Career
Johnson was born in Miami, Florida and graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. 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. He played college football for the Santa Monica Corsairs and the Oregon State Beavers.
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He helped his team have a great 11-1 season. They also won the Fiesta Bowl 41-9 against Notre Dame. Johnson also set a school record with a 97-yard touchdown catch against Stanford. In his one season at Oregon State, he played 12 games.
NFL Career
Cincinnati Bengals (2001-2010)
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Chad Johnson in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played for them for 10 seasons.
In his first year (2001), Johnson played a fair amount. He caught 28 passes for 329 yards and one touchdown. In 2002, he had 69 catches for 1,166 yards and five touchdowns. In 2003, he set a Bengals record with 1,355 receiving yards. In 2004, he caught 95 passes for nine touchdowns and 1,274 yards. Johnson broke his own record in 2005, getting 1,432 receiving yards. He led the AFC in receiving yards for four years in a row.
Johnson had his seventh season with over 1,000 receiving yards. He caught 72 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. He was just 48 yards short of 10,000 career receiving yards.
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.
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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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
In early 2008, Johnson talked about feeling misunderstood by the team. He said he was called "selfish and a cancer." He even hinted at wanting to be traded.
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New England Patriots (2011)
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. 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 (2014-2015) and Fundidores de Monterrey (2017)
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. In total, he accumulated seven receptions for 151 yards, and scored one touchdown.
In March 2017, Johnson played one game for the Fundidores de Monterrey in Mexico.
Career Statistics
Here's a summary of Chad Johnson's NFL career statistics:
| Season | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 28 | 329 | 1 |
| 2002 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 69 | 1166 | 5 |
| 2003 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 83 | 1355 | 10 |
| 2004 | Cincinnati Bengals | 15 | 95 | 1274 | 9 |
| 2005 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 87 | 1432 | 9 |
| 2006 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 87 | 1369 | 7 |
| 2007 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 93 | 1440 | 8 |
| 2008 | Cincinnati Bengals | 14 | 53 | 540 | 4 |
| 2009 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 72 | 1047 | 9 |
| 2010 | Cincinnati Bengals | 15 | 67 | 831 | 4 |
| 2011 | New England Patriots | 15 | 15 | 276 | 1 |
Post-NFL Career
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.
In 2018, Johnson returned to soccer, signing for then-National Premier Soccer League side Boca Raton FC in October after a period of training.
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.
Personal Life and Media Appearances
On March 1, 2010, it was announced that Johnson would be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season.
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.
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 June 2007, he footraced against a Thoroughbred racehorse over a furlong (220 yards / 200 meters) for charity; Johnson, given a 110-yard (100 m) head start, beat the horse by twelve lengths.
Johnson is an avid player of the FIFA video game series, frequently referring to himself as "FIFA king".
On October 25, 2006, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Johnson, whose jersey number was "85", announced that he would prefer to be called "Ocho Cinco," which is "eight five" in Spanish ("Eighty-five" would be "ochenta y cinco").
Johnson legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ochocinco on August 29, 2008.
On August 11, 2012, Johnson was arrested on a charge of domestic battery.
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