The Cincinnati Bengals have had multiple star players come through the organization over the years, each with their own unique personality.
But none have been bigger than former wide receiver Chad ‘OchoCinco’ Johnson, who spent 10 seasons with the organization. Johnson was one of the franchise players for the Bengals between 2001-2010, giving them all he had.
So when the organization decided to trade him to the New England Patriots ahead of the 2011 season, it was met with some confusion. The Bengals held the No. 4 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, taking wide reciever A.J. Green out of Georgia to replace Johnson as the top wideout on the team.
This didn’t sit well with Johnson, especially since he says the organization didn’t tell him about it.
Chad Johnson Calls Out Bengals, Marvin Lewis
Johnson recently reflected on the situation, calling out Cincinnati for how they handled the move. The former wideout spoke on his show ‘Nightcap’.
“For me, I wish Marvin would have told me instead of trading me in general,” Johnson said. “I wish, knowing that they were going to draft A.J. Green once I was gone, I wish they would have made me a number two. I wish they would have come to me. Listen, I would have had no problem. I done put a whole decade in. I would have no problem. Let me go be the number two; hell, let me even be the number three.”
Did Bengals Make Right Move Swapping Johnson for AJ Green?
While Johnson was great for the Bengals during his tenure, it was time to move on. Johnson had started to slow down over the last three seasons with Cincinnati, and the team hadn’t seen much success.
Over his Bengals career, Johnson recorded 751 receptions, 10,783 receiving yards, and 66 touchdowns. This includes him putting up seven 1,000+ yard seasons for Cincinnati.
But he failed to record 1,000 yards in two of his final three years with the team, and he played in more than 12 games once during this period.
“I wish things would have went that way, but I just don’t think they felt or understood that I was willing to take a backseat to someone else new coming in. I would have had no problem taking a backseat to A.J. Green coming in and him being the man and giving him the torch. Boss man, it’s your go. I got maybe two, maybe three years to go before I’m up out of here; I have no problem taking a backseat and let you take over,” Johnson said.
The Bengals saw the opportunity to grab Green and jumped at it, even if they should have told Johnson upfront.
Green went on to become one of the more successful wideouts in the NFL. The former Georgia star posted five straight years of 1,000-plus-yard seasons, making seven Pro Bowls.
Injuries ended up derailing the career of Green, but his time with Cincinnati was special. Green played nine seasons with the Bengals before going to the Arizona Cardinals for his final two years in the NFL.
Both Green and Johnson are legends of the Bengals organization, and they’ve paved the way for current star Ja’Marr Chase to take over. Cincinnati has been lucky enough to have this type of wide-receiving talent throughout its history, and each has helped the other in some way.
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