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Journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. The veteran quarterback has never been a starter or even a long-term backup but manages to find a way to be on an NFL roster almost every year.
This week, Josh Johnson signed with the New York Jets as the team wanted to add a veteran presence to the Jets' quarterback room. With Zach Wilson entering his rookie season and the rest of the depth chart just as inexperienced, adding a seasoned pro like Johnson should help balance it all out.
This is the 17th time since 2008 that Johnson has been signed by an NFL team. Between the National Football League, United Football League, Alliance of American Football, and the XFL, Johnson has been on 20 different rosters in 13 years.
Josh Johnson's NFL journey
After being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh Johnson made just five starts and 26 appearances in three seasons. Johnson spent most of his three years with the Buccaneers as the backup to Byron Leftwich and Josh Freeman.
In 2011, Josh Johnson signed with the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year deal. Unfortunately, Johnson did not survive the final roster cuts at the end of training camp.
Johnson then tried his hand at the United Football League, playing for the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Josh Johnson played just two games for Sacramento in 2012. Johnson then returned to the NFL, signing with the Cleveland Browns when their quarterback room was overcome by injuries. He played just one game late in the season for the Browns.
In 2013, Johnson was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he stayed until the 2014 offseason. Immediately after being released by the Bengals, Johnson was once again signed by the 49ers. He spent most of the season being signed and released by San Francisco every time the team needed to make room on the roster for another player.
Johnson returned to Cincinnati during the 2015 offseason but was released after training camp. Josh Johnson then signed with the New York Jets for his first stint with the team, which lasted about ten days.
Johnson spent the early part of the 2015 season with the Indianapolis Colts and later signed with the Buffalo Bills as the backup to their injured quarterback.
The quarterback was then signed by the Baltimore Ravens during the 2016 offseason but was released in September. Just a could of days after his release, the New York Giants signed Johnson. He started a couple of games for the team after both Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib were sidelined due to injuries. The Giants cut Johnson before the start of the 2017 season.
His NFL carousel continued through 2017 and 2018, signing with the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders before heading to the Alliance of American Football and being drafted by the San Diego Fleet.
But his next most significant opportunity at playing time came with Washington. Josh Johnson was signed by Washington in December 2018 as a backup to quarterback Mark Sanchez. Johnson received playing time when Washington benched Sanchez. He started three games with Washington, throwing for 590 passing yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 120 yards and one touchdown.
After a short stint with the Detroit Lions in training camp in 2019, Johnson put his name into the newly created XFL Draft, drafted by the Los Angeles Wildcats. Josh Johnson played for the Wildcats in the shortened 2020 season and threw for 1,076 yards and 11 touchdowns in four starts.
The 49ers signed Johnson again last November but released him this past June, and he was a free agent until this new opportunity with the New York Jets.
