NFL

Chad Johnson Made $48 Million in the NFL but Slept in the Bengals’ Stadium for the First 2 Years of His Career

Disclosure
We publish independently audited information that meets our strong editorial guidelines. Be aware we may earn a commission if you purchase anything via links on our pages.
While Chad Johnson made millions of dollars during his NFL career, he spend his first two years in the pros sleeping in the Bengals' stadium.

If you watched pro football during the 2000s, it was impossible to ignore Chad Johnson. Whether you thought the Cincinnati Bengals receiver was a legitimate entertainer or a bit of a clown, no one could argue with his on-field production. He pulled in 67 receiving touchdowns during his 11 seasons in the NFL, earning almost $50 million in salary along the way.

Despite that earning power, though, Chad Johnson had an unusual habit during his first two professional seasons. Rather than heading home, he was known to spend the night in the Bengals’ stadium.

Chad Johnson was a talented, if unique, NFL player

RELATED: Cris Collinsworth Once Tried Canceling a Media Responsibility Because of a ‘Massive Zit’

For better or worse, Chad Johnson always knew how to grab the headlines. If you can look past his touchdown celebrations, famous name change, and other antics, though, you’ll find that he was a pretty talented receiver, too.

Johnson’s football career, however, didn’t begin to great fanfare. After high school, he hit the gridiron at Santa Monica College; he did enough to earn a transfer to Oregon State, where he played one season with the Beavers. During that campaign, he showed enough to impress the Cincinnati Bengals and joined the team as the 36th-overall pick of the 2001 NFL draft.

After a quiet rookie season, Johnson burst onto the scene in a major way. From 2002 through 2007, he broke the 1,000-yard receiving mark every season; by the time the receiver retired, he had pulled in 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns.

The receiver didn’t only garner attention for those stats, though. Johnson, along with Terrell Owens and Joe Horn, perfected the art of elaborate, choreographed touchdown celebrations. He also changed his name to Chad Ochocinco, invited fans to dinner on Twitter, and, even in retirement, still manages to make news with his social media activities.

Making more than $48 million in the NFL

RELATED: Chad Ochocinco Made so Much Money He Bought a $100,000 Semi-Truck

In the NFL, most teams are willing to overlook some questionable behavior if the player is talented. Since Chad Johnson was always a capable receiver, he had no problem making plenty of money playing pro football.

Based on Spotrac’s numbers, Johnson earned just under $49 million in raw salary during his time in the league. As you’d assume, most of that money—roughly $43 million of it—came during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals; the remaining $5.75 million came during his one campaign in New England.

While Johnson received seven fines, totaling $115,000, during his time in the NFL, those punishments didn’t hurt his bottom line too badly. The receiver’s fortune is still estimated at $5 million, and he’s been known to share the wealth.

Chad Johnson slept in the Bengal’s stadium during his first two years as a pro

RELATED: The Tragic Death of Rickey Dixon, Former Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Back

When you think of a professional athlete heading home, you probably imagine them pulling up to a mansion or a swanky apartment. During his first two years in the NFL, however, Chad Johnson preferred to spend his time elsewhere.

“First two years, I would stay at the stadium,” he told Graham Bensinger. While the receiver earned more than $1 million as a rookie and had a place of his own, football was all he knew.

“I was a little kid, you know, young,” Johnson continued. “[The stadium] was home. It was all I knew; all I knew at the time was football. My place, it was cool to be home, but then I was so engulfed in the game of football and wanting to just be great at my craft. I felt that this was the necessity to be just that.”

That, of course, raises the question: where did Johnson sleep? Thankfully for the receiver, modern NFL locker rooms are pretty comfortable.

“[I’d sleep] in the lounge room,” Johnson explained. “We had a lounge room. TV, video games, arcade machine, couches were plush. It was dope.”

It’s been said that getting a good night’s sleep is a key part of success. By sleeping in the stadium, Chad Johnson took that idea a bit more literally than most. Based on his track record, though, it certainly paid off for him.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference

Author photo
Joe Kozlowski
Sports Editor

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.

Get to know Joe Kozlowski better
Author photo
Joe Kozlowski Sports Editor

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.

All posts by Joe Kozlowski