Former Arizona Cardinals Star Running Back David Johnson Announces Retirement from NFL

Former Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL today on his Instagram (see below). He finished his career with 4,071 rushing yards, 2,805 receiving yards, and 57 touchdowns on 1,284 touches.

Johnson, 32, was a third round pick by the Cardinals in the 2015 NFL Draft, selected 90th overall out of Northern Iowa University. He broke out in the 2016 season, leading the NFL in touches (373), scrimmage yards (2,118), and touchdowns (20). That earned him a three-year, $39 million contract extension just before the start of the 2018 season. It was a deal that Arizona would regret, as Johnson had relatively unproductive seasons in 2018 and 2019 while the Cardinals hired two different head coaches.

After five seasons in Arizona, Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans, along with a second round pick and a fourth round pick swap, in exchange for receiver DeAndre Hopkins in March 2020. Hopkins would go on to catch 221 passes for 2,696 yards in 35 games with the Cardinals. Johnson rushed for 919 yards on 214 carries and caught 65 passes for 539 yards with Houston.

He spent one more season with New Orleans in 2022 but only appeared in five games. He did not play for a team in the 2023 season.