NFL Rumors: Will Former Bengals WR Chad Johnson Become Coach for the Browns?

By Carlo Monzon
Chad Johnson
Chad Johnson with the Bengals Flickr/Keith Allison

The former wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals, Chad Johnson, has hinted that he may have landed a coaching job with an NFL team. However, according to the athlete, his new gig is with the Cleveland Browns, and not the Bengals.

Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, debuted in the NFL in 2001 after being drafted by the Benglas during the second round. He stayed with the team until 2011 then signed with the New England Patriots.

A year later, he left the Patriots to join the Miami Dolphins, where he stayed for two years.

Currently, Johnson is a free agent in the Canadian Football League. This happened after his team the Montreal Alouettes decided to offer him a new contract for the upcoming season.

But, instead of looking for another team to play with in the CFL, it seems Johnson now wants to return to the NFL. This time, however, he'll be a coach and not a player.

"Gonna ask [Browns head coach Hue Jackson] If I can join the Browns coaching staff as a 'route running specialist' assistant receiver coach, what's the worse he can say," Jackson tweeted.

Joining the Browns' coaching staff is a surprising move especially since Johnson never got the chance to play with the team during his stint in the NFL. But, according to NFL.com, coach Jackson and Johnson are actually good friends, which is probably the reason why the latter approached the former about a possible job.

But, when asked why he chose the Browns over the Bengals, he said that he has a bit of an unfavorable history with his former team.

"I wasn't even allowed in the locker room when I came back," he posted.

Then, a few hours later, Johnson thanked Jackson and noted that he will be heading to Cleveland, which indicates that he has been entertained by the team for the possible coaching position.

Although it's not yet clear if this is really true, a source close to the matter told NFL.com that Jackson has invited Johnson to the team's training camp.

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