It Took Him 9 Years To Win His First NFL Game

Josh Johnson holds the record for the most teams an NFL athlete has played for at 14 and it only took him nine years yes N9 years to get his first win he was drafted in 2008 and won his first game as a starter in 2018 to be fair to him he hadn't appeared in a game in almost 5 years so how's he managed to stay in the league and bounce around between team to team while he has been signed by 14 different teams he hasn't suited up for a regular season game for all of them as a senior at San Diego university he threw 43 touch down passes with only one interception and rush for more than 700 yards but given he was not playing against top schools he wasn't going to go in the first round but the resume was impressive enough for the bucks to draft him in the fifth round of the 2008 draft Johnson spent three years with the Bucks and this is where he would get his first taste of the NFL as a business in Tampa he was one of six quarterbacks on the preseason roster and as a naive rookie he thought all six of them would be kept then the buck cut Bruce gradowski the two had become friends they shared an agent and GR Kowski had started some games and was drafted by the buck a couple years prior and it was at that moment that Johnson recognized the NFL's revolving door one week of player is on a team next thing you know he's cut two weeks later he's halfway across the country and so on he started four games but he wasn't great he finished a year with four touchdowns eight interceptions and 685 passing yards in six Games Starting four of those he'd go on to spend three years with the Bucks mainly as a backup he would then join the 49ers but was cut before the season started he would then take his talents to the Lions no not the Detroit Lions Sacramento yes the Sacramento Lions of the United Football League however he'd only be there for a month as they would fall due to financial troubles now to avoid making this a list of just all the teams he went to I'm going to Rapid Fire through most of these and highlight only the most important to the story he joined the Browns as a backup then the Bengals in 2013 released in 2014 he'd returned to the 49ers then resigned with the Bengals in 2015 but was cut in the preseason the Jets picked him up for a couple weeks then the Colts then the bills who finished a 2015 season with 2016 he signed with the Ravens but cut on the final Day signs a 2-year deal with the Giants but leaves in 2017 goes to the Texans as a backup the Raiders in 2018 but not for long and then he gets to the Redskins in 2018 at the same time he selected first overall in the draft with the alliance of American football but that League didn't even last a month or two so he never ended up playing on the Redskins Alex Smith had been out for the year with a broken leg backup C McCoy then fractured his leg and Mark Sanchez was the third option but he flopped badly in his single start against the Giants so enter Johnson who hadn't played a game in 5 years he said he thought his career was over I mean wouldn't you but this short stint with the Redskins reinvigorated his career he would get his first ever career win as a starter against the Jags as they won 1613 he played in four games starting three with a 57% completion percentage 590 passing yards three touchdowns and four interceptions Coach Jay guden praised him for his ability to learn the system quickly after only being on the couch 2 weeks ago and that's one of the reasons Johnson is still in the league the ability to absorb A playbook is a super underrated quality but as JT O Sullivan said who was another genuine quarterback every time you learn a new offense it's a little bit easier it's like learning multiple languages it's easier to learn the third and the fourth than it is to learn the second given Johnson's been handed what 14 playbooks more if you count the other leagues and college is probably second nature to him at this point after the Red Skins he took a pit stop in the XFL and he did well he threw over 1,000 yards 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions but then c19 hit and it messed all that up back to the NFL he joined the Jets and get some playing time he start one game play in four finish with 334 yards three touchdowns and an interception a few more teams including the 49ers again where he'd have a brief appearance in the 20122 NFC championship game but he wasn't in the game for long because he got concussed so again how is this guy in the league one of the things as we mentioned is his ability to absorb the Playbook on top of that there is tremendous value in having a good backup as we just saw this season not having a reliable backup is devastating and teams who had a somewhat Dependable quarterback at least could remain competitive seven starting quarterbacks that's 22% of the starters were injured in the 2023 season the Colts and Browns for example thrived despite losing starters now of course that's not all on the backup they also benefited from other things like great coaching but if you look at the Jets for example maybe not the best because you know it's the Jets but Zack Wilson as your backup yeah you got trouble so somebody like Josh Johnson can be pretty valuable he's a season veteran that's performed at a pretty decent level for a quarterback when his number's been called he's not a Nick F story or a guard muu but you can see there have been many teams that have had no backup at all and that's where Johnson comes in he's thrived as a long-term backup and he's one of only four players still active from the 08 draft class a testament to his longevity and perseverance he's been cut from so many teams but he took it in stride he knew his role and he thrived in it and he attributes that strong mindset to his mother a single woman raising four children she taught him the art of discipline or maybe he's just built different after all he is related to Marshon Lynch he also had that work ethic a reason he's been able to stick around for so long despite being bounced around he acknowledges as much as getting cut hurts getting to take advantage of these moments can change your life forever and one more thing you have to be likable and he is but if you're bouncing around the league you don't get much time to build rapport case in point Johnson introduced himself to Brown's old lineman Joe Thomas while he was in the Huddle a little hack he had for learning teammates names though Madden he said his goal is to play to 40 as to minimum so maybe he crosses the 20 team Mark while he's at it however now he's the Ravens quarterback number two after Tyler Huntley left in free agency so maybe he's there for the rest of his career and with the new rule passed in 2023 NFL teams can keep a third quarterback without using a third roster spot so Johnson and those who want to follow in his footsteps should have an easier time securing a roster spot