CARDS: Playoff Contenders 2004, Donruss Classics 2002, Leaf Rookies & Stars 2004 Longevity (055/199)
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Home
SENT: 9/16 RECEIVED: 10/20 (19 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
- Brad Johnson played QB at Florida State from 1988-’91.
- He rarely saw the field as a starter- seeing his most extensive action in 1990.
- That season he completed 109 of 163 passes for 1,136 yards and 8 TDs to 5 INT.
- Still he managed to show enough athletically to be selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 9th round of the 1992 NFL Draft.
- Brad again rarely saw the field buried on the depth chart behind Rich Gannon and Sean Salisbury.
- But in 1994 with the arrival of Warren Moon, Johnson was elevated to 2nd string where he saw his first action in the NFL.
- Sensing a need to develop their QB, the Vikings allocated Johnson to the newly reconstituted World League– where Brad played for the London Monarchs in the Spring of ’95.
- Johnson was able to hone his game playing for London, passing for 2,227 yards on 194 of 328 passes.
- During the 1995 regular season again for the Vikes, Brad saw limited duty thanks in part to Warren Moon’s unearthly longevity and durability.
- With Moon injured early on during the first contest of the ’96 season, Johnson was thrust into the starting role for Minnesota.
- He’d finish with a 5-3 record on the season and throw 17 TDs.
- In 1997 Brad took over the starting duties at QB for the Vikings but had Randall Cunningham breathing down his neck.
- A season ending neck injury ended his season after an 8-4 start.
- In a more comical moment, Brad Johnson caught a deflected pass and rumbled 3 yards for his own TD that season.
- Again, Johnson began the ’98 season as starter- but Cunningham took over after the 2nd contest and never looked back.
- Brad was traded to the Redskins prior to the ’99 season in exchange for draft picks.
- He responded with his best season as a pro- 10-6 as a starter while throwing for 24 TDs and 4,005 yards.
- Despite his solid season, the Redskins responded by…. signing QB Jeff George!
- A tough season again riddled with injuries doomed Brad’s tenure in DC.
- In 2001, Johnson was the belle at the ball, pursued by multiple teams- eventually signing with the Bucs.
- He threw for 3,406 yards and 13TDs on 340 of 559 passes.
- The next season, things came full circle as Brad raced out to a 10-3 record as a starter, completed 281 of 451 passes for 3,049 yards and 22 TDs.
- His 1.3 interception rate (6) led the NFL, as Brad and the Bucs won their first Superbowl title over Rich Gannon and the Raiders.
- 2003, saw Brad set career highs with 354 completions and 26 TDs, and a league leading 570 attempts.
- The wheels fell off the Bucs success quickly, and Brad was cut by the end of the 2004 season.
- Although his numbers were solid, his starting record was putrid coming in at a paltry 4-11.
- He returned to the Vikings in 2005.
- Brad enjoyed limited success early on with Minnesota again, going 7-2 replacing Daunte Culpepper in 2005, but struggled in 2006- leading directly to his release.
- The 2007-’08 season had Brad backing up normally durable Tony Romo in Dallas.
- In two seasons with the team he’d complete 41/78 passes for 427 yards and 2 TDs to 5 interceptions and a 1-2 record.
- Brad has a sizable following on TikTok where he does football trickshots.
ACCOLADES:
- Pro Bowl 1999, ’02
- 1997 ESPY NFL Play of the Year
- 2003 NFL Quarterback Challenge Winner
- 6x OPOW NFC: Week 3, 2003. Week 14, Week 9, 2002. Week 4, Week 2, 1999. Week 2, Week 4, 1996.
NOTES:
Brad doesn’t get enough respect for what he did in the NFL. Checkdown Charlie was one of the many nicknames given to him over his time in the NFL. Also when people talk about QBs who were ‘carried to’ or were ‘system quarterbacks’ who won a Superbowl, Brad is unfavorably mentioned in the same sentence and Trent Dilfer.
Brad is also not given enough credit or attention for his time playing in the reconstituted World League, where he really got his first taste of starting action. Brad, Jake Delhomme, Kelly Holcomb, and Kurt Warner are the big four to me- with both Brad and Kurt winning the Superbowl, and Jake appearing in one.
| ATT | CPD | YDS | PCT | TD | INT | RAT | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4326 | 2668 | 29054 | 61.7 | 166 | 122 | 82.5 | 82t |
| ATT | CPD | YDS | PCT | TD | INT | RAT | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 328 | 194 | 2227 | 59.1 | 13 | 14 | 75.1 | 58t |
