A first quarter injury to Brock Purdy has forced veteran Josh Johnson into the starting lineup for the foreseeable future in this NFC Championship Game.
But his newfound role in the 49ers’ title future has a lot of people looking at his past – and it is fascinating.
A quick glance at Johnson’s Wikipedia page shows that since his NFL debut in 2008, he’s absolutely racked up the airline miles for how often he’s changed teams. In 15 years he’s made 22 different stops across the United States in the NFL and even semi-pro leagues like the UFL and XFL.
Those 22 stops include four different stints with the 49ers under multiple head coaches, two stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, two with the New York Jets and two with the Baltimore Ravens along with the Buccaneers, Browns, Colts, Giants, Texans, Raiders, Commanders, Lions, Broncos, Sacramento Mountain Lions, San Diego Fleet and the Los Angeles Wildcats.
NFL fans are a combination of shocked and impressed by how many times Johnson has changed teams over the years. Some can’t even remember that he was with their teams:
Josh Johnson is a journeyman in every sense of the word. Despite being in the league for 15 years he’s played in only 39 games and started nine – going just 1-8 in the process.
Johnson never even appeared in a playoff game prior to this appearance.
Now he’s playing with the 49ers’ playoff hopes on the line.
Can Johnson lead them to a win?