David Johnson retires

[Goodyear Card]

Former All-Pro running back, who had a 20 TD season in 2016, retires after eight NFL seasons

Johnson rose to stardom during his early years with the Cardinals

www.cbssports.com

 

[volcardinal]

DJ was really good under Arians.

 

[Redsz]

Was a star for a short period but then faded over time due to injuries and other issues. Enjoy retirement DJ.

 

[iLLmatiC]

Not For Long.

2016 was magical.

 

[vince56]

2016 gave us so much hope:

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[THESMEL]

Thanks David, blasted put and surprised everyone , then fell off, but always enjoyed fanning for you.

 

[Harry]

This has always been hard to track. A solid player gets a seemingly curable injury that should leave them 100%, but somehow they never fully recover. I have to think it has a major psychological component. Some players just lose that sense of invincibility.

 

[CardNots]

This has always been hard to track. A solid player gets a seemingly curable injury that should leave them 100%, but somehow they never fully recover. I have to think it has a major psychological component. Some players just lose that sense of invincibility.

The injury snatched the most amazing second gear I had ever seen in an NFL running back.

If I remember correctly he got hitched shortly after the injury.

 

[JohnnyCakes]

I am suspicious of his fall off.

That said--- one of the most explosive players ive ever watched. Enjoy retirement DJ31

 

[speedy]

He’s no Anquan Boldin

 

[vince56]

I am suspicious of his fall off.

That said--- one of the most explosive players ive ever watched. Enjoy retirement DJ31

Occam’s razor - he got paid, he valued his family and future over football.

That’s always been my thought. Could he have been on PEDs and decided to get off them? Maybe. But I never heard any noise about that from him, I think Harry raised a good point about the feeling of invincibility being lost. We all remember how weird it was to lose a guy for the entire season to a wrist injury right? It doesn’t really work like that, and he just never came back that year, and then in 2018 and beyond was just not himself.

 

[Zeem_Freeze]

Good dude, husband, and father. Enjoy retirement DJ!

 

[imaCafan]

At one point thought he might carry the Cardinals to the promised land

 

[Dan H]

Occam’s razor - he got paid, he valued his family and future over football.

That’s always been my thought. Could he have been on PEDs and decided to get off them? Maybe. But I never heard any noise about that from him, I think Harry raised a good point about the feeling of invincibility being lost. We all remember how weird it was to lose a guy for the entire season to a wrist injury right? It doesn’t really work like that, and he just never came back that year, and then in 2018 and beyond was just not himself.

He went vegan around the same time and lost a ton of weight as I recall.

 

[Totally_Red]

Like a couple other Cardinals through the years, injury ruined his career. Best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.

 

[Cheesebeef]

This has always been hard to track. A solid player gets a seemingly curable injury that should leave them 100%, but somehow they never fully recover. I have to think it has a major psychological component. Some players just lose that sense of invincibility.

Beyond bizarre what happened here. He was an incredible combo of speed, power and wiggle… all gone after what was reported to just be a sprained knee at the end of the season when he’d have all offseason to rehab.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Beyond bizarre what happened here. He was an incredible combo of speed, power and wiggle… all gone after what was reported to just be a sprained knee at the end of the season when he’d have all offseason to rehab.

I think he was just scared to get injured again and didn't trust his body. Seeing the long term injuries that some of these players deal with, I can understand it though.

 

[Ronin]

Enjoy retirement.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

So promising and then...

Imagine if he had been able to sustain anything close to the monster numbers he had in such a short period. He'd have gone down as one of the greats.

Wish him the best. Seems like a great guy.

 

[Dan H]

.

Wish him the best. Seems like a great guy.

Just saw him on Cards media, but for sure.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Too funny. When I Googled him just now.

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[Brian in Mesa]

Just saw him on Cards media, but for sure.

I saw him on TV once, I think it was on the Food Network. He and his wife were there for some event representing their foundation - The Johnson Family’s Mission 31 Foundation. The organization seeks to “provide opportunities, support, and resources to seriously ill children and their families by offering daily support and life-changing experiences”.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Too funny. When I Googled him just now.

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haha

 

[phillycard]

That Monday night game where he ran roughshod over the stinkin eagles. One of my all time favorite Cardinal memories. Salute to you #31.

 

[SeattleCard]

He was unreal in 2016... such a great year I'll always remember.