Bethel Johnson (born February 11, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. T ...

. He played college football for

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

. Johnson earned two

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

s with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX. He has also been a member of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, Houston Texans and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

Early years

Johnson attended

Corsicana High School Corsicana Independent School District is a public school district based in Corsicana, Texas, United States. In addition to Corsicana, the district serves the central Navarro County towns of Angus, Mustang, Oak Valley, Retreat, and Richland. ...

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busines ...

and as a senior, he led his team to the Class 4A state title game, and made 44 receptions for 1495 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns.

College career

Johnson attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, and finished his college football career with 117 receptions for 1740 yards (14.9 yards per reception), and 11 receiving touchdowns. His 117 receptions and 1740 receiving yards both rank second in school career records. *Sophomore - 27 catches for 514 yards and 3 TD. *Junior - 42 catches for 440 yards and 0 TD. *Redshirt Senior - 40 catches for 718 yards and 8 TD. He also averaged 21 yards per KR and 11.6 yards per PR.

Professional career

New England Patriots

Johnson was drafted 45th overall in the

. In his rookie season, ranked second in the NFL with a 28.2 yards per kickoff return average, returning 30 kickoffs for 847 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 16 passes for 209 yards and 2 scores. In 2003 and 2004 he won the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.

New Orleans Saints

He was traded to the Saints on June 5, 2006 for defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, who was drafted sixth overall by the Saints in 2003. Saints coach, Sean Payton, questioned Johnson's "conditioning, his stamina and endurance" during the preseason. Johnson was cut from the Saints before the 2006 regular season began after injuring his knee in a preseason game.

Minnesota Vikings

Johnson was then signed by the

on October 10, 2006. He appeared in 11 games with two starts for the Vikings that season, catching nine passes for 156 yards. He became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the 2007 offseason.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 8, 2007, he signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was released on June 5, after he failed a physical.

Houston Texans

On July 9, 2007, Johnson signed with the Houston Texans. However, he was released on August 31, during final cuts and spent the rest of the season out of football.

Toronto Argonauts

On May 26, 2008, Johnson was signed by the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. He was released on September 30, due to his lack of progress; ranking just seventh on the team in receiving with 16 catches for 189 yards and no touchdowns.

References

External links

New England Patriots bio

Toronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Bethel 1979 births Living people People from Dallas People from Corsicana, Texas American football wide receivers American football return specialists Texas A&M Aggies football players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Minnesota Vikings players Philadelphia Eagles players Houston Texans players Toronto Argonauts players American players of Canadian football Canadian football return specialists Canadian football wide receivers