Free-agent linebacker Derrick Johnson will sign a one-day contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in order to retire. The 36-year-old was a first-round pick by KC in 2005 and played 13 seasons with the team. He was one of the top overall linebackers in his prime and was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2011. Johnson had 27.5 sacks and 14 interceptions in his time with the Chiefs. He played in six games with the Raiders last year before being released.
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson will become a free agent when his contract expires at the start of the new league year March 14. It will end his 13-year run with the team. Johnson is the Chiefs all-time leading tackler with 1,262 (993 solo) in his 13 seasons with KC, and he earned four Pro Bowl nods. Johnson has seen his tackle totals drop significantly each of the last three seasons, and he recorded just 71 combined tackles in 2017 while seeing his role reduced towards the end of the season. Wherever he lands in free agency, he'll likely be a part-time player for the rest of his career.
Even with Kansas City's pivotal division victory over the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night, not all news was positive at Arrowhead Stadium. Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson ruptured his Achilles tendon in the second quarter of the game, having to be helped off the field. Head coach Andy Reid called the injury a "sad deal" as it appears Johnson will be out for an extensive period of time, perhaps beyond this season and into next. With this being his second Achilles tear in three years, it could very well be time to wonder if Johnson will call it quits at 34 years of age. As for the Chiefs defense, losing a player of his magnitude certainly hurts, but the unit should remain strong through the final three weeks of the season.
Derrick Johnson
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Chiefs
