Chad Johnson: Overpaid and Over Appreciated

The ongoing saga between Chad Johnson and the Cincinnati Bengals just epitomizes why modern day professional athletes have a bad reputation.

Many fans believe that individuals who are being paid millions of dollars to play a game should not spend their time arguing with coaches and teammates, or whining about how underpaid or under appreciated they are.

Chad Johnson has been making headlines lately for his ongoing campaign to be traded from the Cincinnati Bengals. Johnson’s reasoning behind wanting to be traded is that he is ‘Underpaid’ and ‘Under appreciated’ in Cincinnati. Johnson has stopped speaking to the local media in Cincinnati and won’t participate in the team’s off-season training programs.

The fact of the matter is that Johnson is by no means ‘Underpaid’ or ‘Underappreciated’ in Cincinnati. Over the past few years, Johnson has become the face of the Bengals, earning him millions of dollars in endorsement money. Chad Johnson also made a total salary of $2.75 million last season. Furthermore, Ocho Cinco is set to make $3 million this season and has the opportunity to earn up to $18 million over the next 4 seasons with various bonuses in his contract.

Johnson is the third highest paid receiver in the league, however, his overall statistics in 2007 show that he is not necessarily the third best receiver in the league. Among NFL wide receivers, Johnson ranked third in total receiving yards, 12th in total receptions, 15th in touchdown catches, and sixth in yards per game.

The Bengals did not have a great season last year, posting a 7-9 record, but there were several receivers with far better numbers than Johnson that played on far worse teams.

For example, Derrick Mason of the Ravens, Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals and Marques Colston of the Saints all had more receptions that Johnson in 2007. Marques Colston, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (of the Cardinals) all had more touchdowns than Johnson last year. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, also of the Cincinnati Bengals, led Johnson in just about every receiving category, yet he is paid less than Chad Johnson. 

As far as physical ability, Chad Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league. But as we have seen time and time again, physical ability does not always translate into success on the field.

Johnson’s claims of being ‘Underpaid’ and ‘Underappreciated’ simply don’t add up when looking at his statistics.

If anything, based on his stats last season, Johnson is ‘Overpaid’ and ‘Over appreciated’ by the Bengals.