 Johnson with theMinnesota Vikings in 2005 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 14 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1968-09-13)September 13, 1968 (age 57) Marietta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Charles D. Owen(Black Mountain, North Carolina) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Florida State (1988–1991) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1992: 9th round, 227th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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James Bradley Johnson (born September 13, 1968) is an American former professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with theMinnesota Vikings,Washington Redskins,Tampa Bay Buccaneers, andDallas Cowboys. He is best known for his time with the Buccaneers, whom he led to a win inSuper Bowl XXXVII.
Johnson playedcollege football for theFlorida State Seminoles and was selected in the ninth round of the1992 NFL draft. He is also notable for being the first player in the NFL to complete atouchdown pass to himself, doing so in a 1997 game against theCarolina Panthers. He remained the only player to do so untilMarcus Mariota repeated the feat ina 2018 postseason game.[1]
Born inMarietta, Georgia,[2] Brad Johnson attendedCharles D. Owen High School inBlack Mountain, North Carolina. At Owen High School, Johnson playedfootball andbasketball; he receivedAll-American honors asquarterback on the football team and all-state honors as a member of the basketball team.[3]
After graduating from Owen High School in 1987, Johnson attendedFlorida State University. From 1987 to 1989, Johnson played on theFlorida State Seminoles men's basketball team and started 11 games as a freshman. In 1988, Johnson joined thefootball team (under coachBobby Bowden) at Florida State as a redshirt freshman and served asholder in every game and played two games as quarterback.[3]
In 1989 as a sophomore, Johnson was third-string quarterback behindPeter Tom Willis andCasey Weldon; Johnson completed 7 of 12 passes for 67 yards.[4] Johnson won the1990 Fiesta Bowl title with the Seminoles. As a junior in 1990, Johnson started the first six games of the season before being replaced by Weldon. With a 4–2 record starting those games, Johnson finished the 1990 season with 109-for-163 passing for a career-high 1,136 yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.[5] For the third consecutive season with Johnson, Florida State won a bowl game, theBlockbuster Bowl. Johnson would play nine games (with one start – a win) as a senior in 1991.[3] On 37-for-61 passing for 462 yards, Johnson passed for 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and Florida State won theCotton Bowl Classic in 1992.[6]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+1⁄2 in (1.94 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 5.02 s | 1.70 s | 2.87 s | 4.29 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) | ||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
In the1992 NFL draft, theMinnesota Vikings drafted Johnson in the ninth round as the 227th overall pick.[8] As third-string quarterback behind starterRich Gannon and backupSean Salisbury, Johnson dressed for only one game as a rookie in 1992 but did not play.[3][9] In 1993, Johnson continued to be the third-string quarterback for the first 10 games of the season and was inactive for the final six.[3]
In 1994, Johnson became backup to starterWarren Moon and played his first NFL regular season game in Week 3 (September 18).[3] The Vikings won 42–14 over theChicago Bears in that game, and Johnson completed 3 of 3 passes for 16 yards.[10] Johnson would play in three more games in 1994. In Week 8 (October 30), a 36–13 win over theTampa Bay Buccaneers, Johnson completed 5 of 5 passes for 30 yards. Johnson had his first significant playing time in Week 15 (December 17), a 41–19 loss to theDetroit Lions. In that game, Johnson completed 14 of 29 passes for 104 yards.[10]
In the spring of 1995, Johnson joined theLondon Monarchs of theWorld League, anAmerican football league based inEurope. With London, Johnson completed 194 of 328 passes for 2,227 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.[11] Johnson had the most completions of all World League quarterbacks in 1995.[3] For his season with the Monarchs, Johnson earned£12,000.[12] Back with the Minnesota Vikings in 1995, Johnson played five games that season. In a 44–24 victory over thePittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 (September 24), Johnson completed one 36-yard pass. However, Minnesota lost 38–21 to theGreen Bay Packers in Week 7 (October 22), a game in which Johnson completed 10 of 17 passes for 94 yards and one interception. In that game, Johnson also rushed once for 3 yards. In Week 11 (November 19), Johnson completed 5 of 7 passes for 70 yards in the Vikings' 43–24 win over theNew Orleans Saints. Johnson had 9-for-11 passing for 72 yards but one interception in Week 14 (December 9), and Minnesota defeated theCleveland Browns 27–11.[10]
Johnson started eight of twelve games in 1996. Twice, Johnson earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and he finished third in the NFC with an 89.4 passer rating.[3] In the season opener against theDetroit Lions on September 1, Johnson played in the second half after starterWarren Moon suffered an ankle injury amid 5-for-14 passing. With 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter, Johnson threw his first career touchdown pass, a 31-yard pass toCris Carter that would clinch the 17–13 victory for Minnesota.[13][14] Overall that game, Johnson completed 16 of 23 passes for 157 yards and rushed three times for 14 yards.[10] Johnson started his first game of his career the following week on September 8 and led Minnesota to a 23–17 road win over theAtlanta Falcons. This victory marked the first time Minnesota started 2–0 since 1987. With 15-for-26 passing for 275 yards, Johnson threw for two touchdowns and one interception.[10][15] Warren Moon would return as starter the following week.[16] Johnson played again in Week 4 with one incomplete pass and saw significant playing time next in Week 8 (October 28), a 15–13 loss to theChicago Bears. Again replacing an injured Warren Moon, Johnson completed 10 of 15 passes for 79 yards. In the final play of the game,Bryan Cox forced a fumble from Johnson.[17] This was Johnson's only lost fumble of Johnson's five fumbles in 1996.[2]
Johnson started the next game in Week 9 (November 3), and the Vikings lost to theKansas City Chiefs 21–6. With 22-for-42 passing, Johnson passed for 218 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions and rushed three times for 12 yards.[10] In a backup role in Week 10 (November 10), a 42–23 loss to theSeattle Seahawks, Johnson completed 8 of 12 passes for 123 yards and 1 touchdown and ran twice for 3 yards. Starting Week 11 (November 17), Johnson became the regular starter for the Vikings after Moon was again injured. Johnson led Minnesota to a 4–2 record to end the season.[10] With a Week 15 (December 15) victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21–10, Minnesota clinched a playoff berth for the season. Johnson clinched the win for Minnesota with a 36-yard touchdown pass toCris Carter, part of a 99-yard drive.[18] Minnesota finished the regular season 9–7, second place in theNFC Central.[19] Johnson made his postseason debut in the Vikings'NFC Wild Card game against thedefending Super Bowl championDallas Cowboys on December 28, 1996. Minnesota lost to Dallas 40–15, as Johnson completed 15 of 27 passes for 208 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions and rushed 14 yards on three carries for one touchdown.[10]
Starting the first 12 games of 1997, Johnson led Minnesota to an 8–4 record, including a six-game winning streak from September 28 (Week 5) to November 9 (Week 10), before suffering a season-ending neck injury in Week 13.[3] By Week 6, Johnson set a team record with 15 straight games with a touchdown pass. Johnson also had no interceptions in 109 consecutive passes in four consecutive games from October 12 to November 9.[3][10] In the Vikings' 21–14 win over theCarolina Panthers on October 12 (Week 7), Johnson caught his own deflected pass and ran 3 yards for a touchdown. Johnson became the first player to complete a pass to himself for a touchdown in NFL history. This play won theESPY award for NFL Play of the Year.[3] In three games, Johnson led the Vikings to fourth-quarter comeback wins. Johnson finished 1997 fourth in the NFC with 20 touchdown passes and 3,036 passing yards.[3]
On the morning of the Week 13Monday Night Football game, Johnson woke up with a sore neck and saw achiropractor to be cleared to play.[20] After Johnson passed only 15-for-30 for 117 yards and one interception and was sacked six times, coach Dennis Green benched Johnson and put inRandall Cunningham. The Vikings would lose to theGreen Bay Packers 27–11.[21] Cunningham would start the final three games of the season, and Minnesota finished the 1997 season 9–7, won the NFC Wild Card game, and lost the NFC Divisional round.
Johnson started the first two games of 1998 for the Vikings, both victories. In the season opener, a 31–7 win over Tampa Bay, Johnson threw for 4 touchdowns and 1 interception over 189 yards and completed 15 of 25 passes.[10] However, Johnson would complete only 18 of 31 passes the following game and throw for 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions before leaving the game during the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle.[10][22] Randall Cunningham replaced Johnson, and Minnesota won Week 2 (September 13) over theSt. Louis Rams 38–31. By Week 8, with Cunningham as starter, the Vikings had a perfect 7–0 record.[23] Johnson returned to action in Week 9 (November 8), in a 31–24 win over theNew Orleans Saints, after Cunningham injured his knee. With 28-for-38 passing over 316 yards, Johnson had one passing touchdown and 2 interceptions. However, Johnson broke his thumb on the first play of the third quarter.[10][24] Cunningham returned as starter the following week, and Johnson next played in the Week 15 50–10 win over theJacksonville Jaguars. Minnesota finished the 1998 season a franchise-best 15–1 and advanced to the NFC championship game, where they came a field goal short of the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons. Following the season, Vikings coachDennis Green formally named Randall Cunningham as starting quarterback and traded Brad Johnson to theWashington Redskins for a first, a future second, and a third-round draft pick.[25]
With 4,005 yards, 24 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a 90.0 passer rating, Johnson achieved career highs in passing yards, completions, touchdowns, and passer rating in 1999.[2] His 316 completions set a Washington team record and his 4,005 passing yards ranks fifth all-time in Redskins history.[26] He was also NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice that year again. One such Player of the Week honor came after Week 4 (October 3) after Johnson rallied the Redskins to a 38–36 win over theCarolina Panthers; the Panthers led 21–0 during the game.[3][10]
Johnson made the NFC squad of the2000 Pro Bowl, his first careerPro Bowl appearance.[3]
The following year in 2000 saw Washington signJeff George to a four year deal to backup Johnson.[27]
Johnson threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (11) in a season that saw him start the first nine games of the season and go 6–3 before he tore a ligament in his knee that sawJeff George start the next three games. Johnson stopped negotiations for a contract extension by October.[28] The Redskins skidded down the stretch, which sawNorv Turner fired forTerry Robiskie when the team fell to 7–6. In the game Johnson returned, he was benched midway through a 9-7 loss to the Giants (where he was just 14-of-29 passes for 126 yards with two interceptions) for George, who started the next two games due to apparent orders from ownerDaniel Snyder. Johnson started the last game of the season, which saw the team finish with a 8–8 record.[29]
Johnson signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent during the offseason while George started in Washington for 2001. George would go on to have the worst stats in the league and was released forTony Banks after the second game with a 0–2 start, while Johnson had a strong season in Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl the following year.
In 2001, Johnson was pursued by theBaltimore Ravens in the offseason (coached byBrian Billick, his former offensive coordinator with the Vikings), but he spurned them to join the Buccaneers on a five-year contract worth $28 million.[30] Johnson was reunited with former Vikings assistant-coachTony Dungy for his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That year, he broke the Buccaneers team records for passing yards with 3,406, completions with 340, and attempts with 540. In the 2002 season, he led the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl championship and earned his second Pro Bowl appearance. He was helped in the Super Bowl by a defense that scored 21 of their 48 points. That year, Johnson also became the first Buccaneers QB to lead the NFC in passer rating at 92.9 and set new team records for passing touchdowns with 22, completion percentage with 62.3, consecutive passes without an interception with 187 and lowest interception percentage with 1.3%. He was NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice.
On January 21, 2015, Johnson later admitted to bribing ball boys to alter the footballs used during the Super Bowl. According to Johnson: "I paid some guys off to get the balls right. I went and got all 100 footballs, and they took care of all of them."[31][32] He also stated that he "did nothing wrong", and that he talked to opposing Oakland Raiders QBRich Gannon beforehand and both agreed that they preferred not to use the slick, brand-new balls that the league provided for the game.[33]
In 2003, he won the NFL's "Quarterback Challenge" competition, in which he beat Pro Bowl QBsTom Brady,Matt Hasselbeck,Jeff Garcia,Mark Brunell,Marc Bulger and others likeByron Leftwich andJoey Harrington in a skills competition with four parts involving accuracy, speed and mobility, long distance throw, and "No Huddle."[1] Former teammateSean Salisbury said that despite having a big, strong arm and a great deep ball, Johnson would tend to throw the fast and easy completion which earned him the nickname "Checkdown Charlie" among friends.[34]
After the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers ran into some problems. Although Johnson had good passing stats in 2003–2004 the year after the Super Bowl (3,811 yards, 26 touchdowns to break the Buccaneers' record again, 21 interceptions, and named 2003 Buccaneers MVP by the Tampa Sports Club) and 2004 (63% completion rate), they benched him in the fourth game of the 2004 season because the team had gone 4–11 in the last 15 games Johnson started. When the backup quarterbackChris Simms was injured they started third-string quarterbackBrian Griese instead of Johnson partly because ofsalary cap problems. Johnson asked out and was cut from the team at the end of the season.
In 2005, Minnesota was struggling with now three-time Pro BowlerDaunte Culpepper starting at quarterback.Randy Moss had been traded in March of that year, and four-time Pro Bowl CenterMatt Birk was injured so Culpepper was expected to carry the offense against the top defenses in the NFL. While playing without any offensive weapons, and falling behind early in games the Vikings began the season at 2–5 with Culpepper throwing twice as many interceptions – twelve – as touchdowns – six – and five fumbles (three lost) before tearing hisMCL,ACL, andPCL in the seventh game.
Johnson then took over as starting quarterback and the team then finished the season 7–2 with a six-game winning streak needing only one more win to go to the playoffs. Brad played very well and set a team record for lowest interception to attempt ratio (1.3% – same as his record in Tampa) which was the lowest in the NFL among starting QBs. While starting against teams that included the second (Bears), fourth (Ravens), fifth (Steelers), and seventh (Packers) ranked defenses in the NFL[2] his passer rating was the third best in the NFC among starting quarterbacks[3], and was also better than three QBs selected to the Pro Bowl. But he struggled in those particular games with the exception of the Bears game in which the Bears had already clinched the division and played all of their 2nd and 3rd stringers. He also scored more touchdowns per game than four selected to the Pro Bowl. And despite his age he threw just as many 40+ yard passes as top 29 yr old QB Peyton Manning – six – in seven fewer games, which was the same amount as his Super Bowl year which had four more games.
Johnson was named the starting quarterback for the Vikings' 2006 season, and a few days before the second game he turned 38 which made him the oldest starting quarterback in the league. Many felt his quick-release style was a good fit for then-new coachBrad Childress' highly toutedWest Coast system. The knowledge he had acquired from going to the playoffs under four different coaching systems and having winning records with seven different head coaches seemed to be an asset for first time head coach Childress. In the preseason, Johnson had a passer rating of 110.7, one of the top 10 in the league out of more than 100 quarterbacks who performed.
However, in the regular season, Johnson struggled more than Daunte Culpepper did in 2005, throwing eight touchdowns to fifteen interceptions. Midway through the season, he had already set an NFL record for passes completed short of a first down on third down in a season. Many fans grew restless for the benching of Johnson because of his conservative checkdowns, immobility, and at the same time reckless decisions which plagued the Vikings offense. His quarterback-rating on 3rd downs, with a lead, from behind, and in the red zone were the worst in the entire league. 31 QBs threw more touchdown passes while only 10 threw more interceptions than Johnson in the 2006 NFL season.
On February 28, 2007, the Vikings released Johnson in favor of rookie quarterbackTarvaris Jackson.
On March 5, 2007, Johnson signed a three-year deal with theDallas Cowboys to back upTony Romo. Johnson played little in the 2007 season. He played in week 17 against the Washington Redskins, going 7-for-11 for 79 yards in the 27–6 loss.
During the 2008 season, Romo suffered a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand in week 6 against theArizona Cardinals. Johnson started for the Cowboys during the next three weeks until the injury healed. In Johnson's week 7 start against the St. Louis Rams, he completed 17 of 34 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also had one fumble in the 34–14 loss.[35] In week 8, in a 13–9 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he passed for 122 yards and one touchdown toRoy Williams, and the Cowboys had the lowest total offensive yards in a winning game: 172 yards. In the week 9 game against theNew York Giants, he completed 5 of 11 passes for 71 yards and had two passes intercepted. He was replaced by third-string quarterbackBrooks Bollinger at the start of the second half. After the Cowboys' bye week, Romo returned from the broken finger to reclaim the starting role.
The Cowboys released Johnson on February 26, 2009.[36]
Johnson ranks 63rd in careerpasser rating in NFL history as of January 2022, aboveTroy Aikman andWarren Moon, who are 71st and 77th, respectively.[37] Johnson went 72–53 as a starter and completed over 60% of his passes for 13[38] straight seasons (1995–2007), the first quarterback in NFL history to do so.[4]
Johnson eclipsed the 3,000-yard passing mark five times. In 1999, he became only the secondWashington Redskins quarterback in franchise history to eclipse 4,000 yards.[39] He had the top passer rating in theNFC in 2002, the same season he helped theTampa Bay Buccaneers winSuper Bowl XXXVII, and would earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors seven times in his career. He would also break many Tampa Bay passing records during his time there as quarterback.
To date, Johnson,Marcus Mariota, andJosh Allen are the only NFL quarterbacks to have thrown touchdown passes to themselves (Mariota doing it in the 2018 NFL playoffs and Allen doing it in Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season).[5][40] Johnson accomplished this against theCarolina Panthers in 1997, catching his own deflected pass, juking, and running three yards for atouchdown.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1994 | MIN | 4 | 0 | — | 22 | 37 | 59.5 | 150 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | 68.5 | 2 | −2 | −1.0 | 0 |
| 1995 | MIN | 5 | 0 | — | 25 | 36 | 69.4 | 272 | 7.6 | 0 | 2 | 68.3 | 9 | −9 | −1.0 | 0 |
| 1996 | MIN | 12 | 8 | 5–3 | 195 | 311 | 62.7 | 2,258 | 7.3 | 17 | 10 | 89.4 | 34 | 90 | 2.6 | 1 |
| 1997 | MIN | 13 | 13 | 8–5 | 275 | 452 | 60.8 | 3,036 | 6.7 | 20 | 12 | 84.5 | 35 | 139 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 1998 | MIN | 4 | 2 | 2–0 | 65 | 101 | 64.4 | 747 | 7.4 | 7 | 5 | 89.0 | 12 | 15 | 1.3 | 0 |
| 1999 | WAS | 16 | 16 | 10–6 | 316 | 519 | 60.9 | 4,005 | 7.7 | 24 | 13 | 90.0 | 26 | 31 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 2000 | WAS | 12 | 11 | 7–4 | 227 | 364 | 62.4 | 2,505 | 6.9 | 11 | 15 | 75.7 | 22 | 58 | 2.6 | 1 |
| 2001 | TB | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 340 | 559 | 60.8 | 3,406 | 6.1 | 13 | 11 | 77.7 | 39 | 120 | 3.1 | 3 |
| 2002 | TB | 13 | 13 | 10–3 | 281 | 451 | 62.3 | 3,049 | 6.8 | 22 | 6 | 92.9 | 13 | 30 | 2.3 | 0 |
| 2003 | TB | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 354 | 570 | 62.1 | 3,811 | 6.7 | 26 | 21 | 81.5 | 25 | 33 | 1.3 | 0 |
| 2004 | TB | 4 | 4 | 0–4 | 65 | 103 | 63.1 | 674 | 6.5 | 3 | 3 | 79.5 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 |
| 2005 | MIN | 15 | 9 | 7–2 | 184 | 294 | 62.6 | 1,885 | 6.4 | 12 | 4 | 88.9 | 18 | 53 | 2.9 | 0 |
| 2006 | MIN | 15 | 14 | 6–8 | 270 | 439 | 61.5 | 2,750 | 6.3 | 9 | 15 | 72.0 | 29 | 82 | 2.8 | 1 |
| 2007 | DAL | 16 | 0 | — | 7 | 11 | 63.6 | 79 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 85.0 | 5 | −5 | −1.0 | 0 |
| 2008 | DAL | 16 | 3 | 1–2 | 41 | 78 | 52.6 | 427 | 5.5 | 2 | 5 | 50.5 | 2 | −1 | −0.5 | 0 |
| Total | 177 | 125 | 72–53 | 2,668 | 4,326 | 61.7 | 29,054 | 6.7 | 166 | 122 | 82.5 | 276 | 657 | 2.4 | 8 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1996 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 15 | 27 | 55.6 | 208 | 7.7 | 1 | 2 | 62.0 | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 1 |
| 1999 | WAS | 2 | 2 | 1–1 | 35 | 63 | 55.6 | 323 | 5.1 | 1 | 3 | 55.2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2001 | TB | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 22 | 36 | 61.1 | 202 | 5.6 | 0 | 4 | 36.8 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TB | 3 | 3 | 3–0 | 53 | 98 | 54.1 | 670 | 6.8 | 5 | 3 | 79.9 | 8 | 13 | 1.6 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 7 | 4–3 | 125 | 224 | 55.8 | 1,403 | 6.3 | 7 | 12 | 62.8 | 13 | 29 | 2.2 | 1 | |
Johnson has two sons with his wife, Nikki. His brother-in-law isMark Richt, former head football coach at theUniversity of Georgia and theUniversity of Miami. Johnson's father is Rick Johnson, who helped establish the Winshape Camps after working several years at Ridgecrest Camps. He currently resides inAthens, Georgia. Both of Johnson's sons,Max andJake, play for theNorth Carolina Tarheels football team.
He occasionally participates in competitivePop-A-Shot.[41]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
