Cardinals' 35th season in Arizona: Ex-RB Chris Johnson on Hall of Fame, fantasy football

Chris Johnson's best NFL years came early his career as a member of the Tennessee Titans. But the speedy and physical running back has good memories of the place where he finished his football career, with the Cardinals in Arizona. 

Johnson, now 37, rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons in the NFL. In just his second season in the league, he gained 2,006 yards, averaged 5.6 yards per carry, ran for 125.4 yards per game and won the 2009 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. 

Johnson was a three-time Pro Bowler, and at age 30 in his eighth season in the league, ran for 814 yards in his first season with the Cardinals. He was with Arizona from 2015 to 2017, his last NFL season.

This NFL season, which ends with Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, The Republic visits with some of the names and faces from the Cardinals' 35 seasons in Arizona. 

This week it's Johnson, who has a football and culture podcast with former Titans running back Lendale White called "Smash & Dash," avidly takes part in fantasy football, owns a coffee shop west of Orlando, takes part in gaming broadcasts with former and current NFL players and is a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2023 class. 

Previous stories in this series: Bertrand Berry | Eric Hill | Neil Rackers | Mike Iupati | Karlos Dansby | Carson Palmer | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | Michael Pittman

Q: Do you miss playing, even after a few years out of the league?

A: "Yeah, of course, like, that's the main thing. One of the biggest things that athletes miss, like, once they leave the game is not the games and going out there and getting hit and stuff like that. It's just that camaraderie of guys in the locker room and talking to those guys and being with those guys."

Q: What was it like to be known as "CJ2K" after you had the 2,000-yard season?

A: "It's crazy because that's not even an actual nickname that I came up with. I think NFL Network or whatever, somebody started calling me that and they just kept rolling with it, going with it or whatever. Yeah, it was amazing."

Q: In the first few years of your NFL career you were dominant, and then you ended up with a long career. What would getting into the Hall of Fame mean to you?

A: "Man, it's definitely real important.  Every player that played this game, that's the ultimate goal and when they're done they want to be among the best of the best. The top at every position. I feel like I put in the work. I feel like I've done the things in order to be in, so it's kind of like a sit and wait game. I was talking to (Hall of Famer) Andre Reed, and to even be considered, to even be able to make the list, because there's so many guys that have retired, semi retired, and at Year 5, they're unsure if they're up for it. But just to be amongst the guys that made the list is an accomplishment in itself." 

Q: You talk about fantasy football on your podcast. How aware of it were you when you played? Is it a big deal for players to either embrace it or dislike it?

A: "I wasn't too aware of back then, of how big it actually is. Now, I'm really into it. Now I do a lot, like part of the podcasts. I have a CJ2K fantasy segment that I do. And then I'm in like four different leagues or whatever so I'm really involved with it now. I wish I understood it back then when I was playing because I was in magazines. I also did a few commercials with fantasy football but I didn't understand it fully. It's like fun to do."

Q: How would you describe your time in Arizona with the Cardinals and living out here in the desert?

A: "Once I got out there it was beautiful, nice weather, all that stuff. And then just the team I was on and all the guys I was around and the coaches, it was just an amazing experience."

Q: How do you look at the way running backs are used in football today? And why do we see so many guys have two or three really, really great years and then all of a sudden things change for them quickly?

A: "I definitely like the way they're using these guys these days and like you say, these guys are having two or three good years and like, disappearing. It just shows you how good some of the backs were in my day and prior to my day because a lot of us, six, seven, eight productive seasons. I have six back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. I don't know how many guys can say that these days.

"We don't get drafted as higher. It's just the life expectancy in the NFL. The career is pretty short when it comes to a running back because I guess once you retire at 27 or 28 they are already ready for, they are already looking for the next younger guy to come in."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.