39-Year-Old NFL Journeyman Signs Deal with the Bengals
On March 14th, it was announced that the Cincinnati Bengals and veteran QB Josh Johnson have agreed to a one-year contract. The journey continues for Johnson, who will be playing for his 15th different NFL team as he enters his 19th season. Johnson, who will be 40 in May, has started only 11 NFL games in his career, posting an unimpressive 2-9 record. Now with the Bengals, Johnson will look to provide leadership and practice expertise for Cincinnati and Joe Burrow, who will undoubtedly remain above Johnson on the depth chart.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the University of San Diego alumnus did not see any action in his rookie season. In 2009, Johnson was given the starting job for the Bucs after an 0-3 start from Byron Leftwich. Johnson went 0-4 himself before being benched for 2009 first-round selection Josh Freeman. Johnson would have 20 total appearances in 2010 and 2011, starting one game and losing 38-19 to the Carolina Panthers.
From 2012 to 2018, Johnson signed 15 different contracts for 13 different teams, including 11 NFL teams, a UFL team, and an AAF team. Among those NFL teams, he was on the practice squad for six of them, never starting a game, only appearing in three. By December 2018, Johnson signed and was protected by the San Diego Fleet of the AAF, but was offered a contract with the then-named Washington Redskins to back up Mark Sanchez after season-ending injuries to Alex Smith and Colt McCoy. Johnson made his first appearance since 2013 and scored his first touchdown since 2011 after relieving Sanchez in a blowout loss. The next week, Johnson was named the starter and won his first career game at age 32.
After a short two-game stint backing up Matthew Stafford on the Detroit Lions, Johnson was released and allocated to the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL. While Johnson missed the first game and the Wildcats went 2-3 in a shortened COVID-19 season, he completed 60% of his passes for 1,000 yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He finished as the 2020 XFL passer rating leader at 106.3. From 2021 to 2024, Johnson lost his lone start in 12 on-field appearances between his second stint with the Jets, first and second stints with the Ravens, and fourth stint with the 49ers.
In 2025, the Commanders liked what they saw in Johnson and his contribution in the XFL and to what should have been Lamar Jackson’s third MVP, signing him to back up Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. Johnson made two starts, winning one, in five appearances while filling in for the injured Daniels and Mariota. Johnson finished 2025 with 63% completion, 372 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, adding 12 rushes for 55 yards and a score on the ground. In his career, Johnson has 3,150 total yards, 16 total touchdowns, and 18 interceptions, which seem like low, unimpactful numbers, but are due to limited starts and minimal playing time in non-starts. At the end of the day, Johnson was never a high-quality starter, but in 2026, the soon-to-be 40-year-old will continue his historic journey by adding his veteran experience to the Bengals, helping the development of Burrow, and filling in as a starter if called upon.
