Chad Ochocinco Johnson (born Chad Javon Johnson), known from 2008 to 2012 as Chad Ochocinco, is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Santa Monica Corsairs and the Oregon State Beavers, and played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots during his tenure playing in the NFL. He was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, and played for them for 10 seasons. Ochocinco, which means "eight five" in Spanish, was also his number. In 2011, Johnson was traded to the Patriots, for whom he played in Super Bowl XLVI.
In 2012, Johnson played for the Miami Dolphins during preseason but was released following his arrest for domestic violence. He played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2014 to 2015 and played one game in 2017 for the Mexican team Fundidores de Monterrey of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). Johnson emerged as one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers of the 2000s and owns nearly every Bengals receiving record.
In April 2011, CNBC listed Johnson as number one on its list of "most influential athletes in social media". Johnson was a six-time Pro Bowler, was named to three All-Pro teams and was voted as the number one wide receiver on the Bengals 40th Anniversary team.
He is currently a panelist on the weekly highlight show Inside the NFL a role he has held since the show first moved to The CW in 2023. He also co-hosts the podcast Nightcap alongside Shannon Sharpe. In December 2024, he served as "ratings adjuster" for the EA Sports Madden broadcast of an NFL game.
