Collin Johnson announced his retirement on Thursday. The receiver’s NFL career has therefore come to an end at the age of 28.
“Football has shaped my life in more ways than I can put into words,” Johnson’s announcement reads in part. “It taught me faith, discipline, resilience, leadership, and how to compete at the highest level. I’m thankful for every teammate, coach, organization, and person who helped me along the way.”
Johnson entered the league as a Jaguars draftee in 2020. The former fifth-round pick spent his rookie season with the Jaguars, but only ended up playing one year in Jacksonville. Johnson would go on to see time with the Giants and Bears over the course of his career. The Texas product’s last regular-season game came with Chicago in 2024.
Instead of aiming to land on a roster this summer, Johnson will turn his focus to academic and business pursuits. His announcement states he will enroll at MIT Sloan this fall with the intent of graduating with an MBA. Johnson is the founder and CEO of Beyond-Sports, and his company is set to expand by launching Founders Academy to assist current and former athletes with business ventures.
In total, Johnson made 38 appearances in the NFL. He amassed roughly $3.6MM in career earnings along the way. Attention in his case will now turn to a clearly-defined next chapter.
Good for you! Enjoy retirement. But his quote tells me he’ll stay involved the game somehow; coaching, broadcasting, or getting into management.
Enjoy retirement he’s not gonna do anything anymore, but sit at home
Johnson looks like he has some big plans, and certainly seems to have a mind for business. Really cool to see all that from an NFL player, to have a good plan for after his career, and to have made so much of his playing time during. Salute to you, Mr. Johnson.
Good Luck Collin!
He clearly used football to set himself up for a future in something else, and that’s awesome.
Still, crazy that Tyler Johnson is in the league still and Collin Johnson isn’t, given all the hype he and Duvernay got coming out of Texas.
I do remember thinking Tyler Johnson was a steal though. Watched him ball out at Minnesota.
Agreed. I remember hoping that he could be a solid complementary receiver with his size coming out of Texas. Of course it didn’t happen, but it’s cool to see that he hasn’t been using his time idly in the meantime.