Chargers' Quentin Johnston Fulfills Promise to Let Mom Retire After Being Drafted

When the Los Angeles Chargers announced they would select Quentin Johnston with the No. 21 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, the former TCU wide receiver stood up and made a promise to his mother.

"I just want to give a big shout-out to my mom," he said. "She's going to be putting her two weeks' notice in today. She can retire. I don't want you working another day."

Thursday was Sherry Johnston's last day as a secretary at the VA Hospital in Temple, Texas, ESPN's Lindsey Thiry reported.

"We definitely had conversations after, because I told him I didn't want to retire, that I still wanted to work, and he was like, 'I'm not trying to hear that, I need you to retire,'" said Sherry Johnston in a Zoom interview shared by KWTX's Darby Brown.

Sherry Johnston continued, "He was like, 'Mom, you're always talking about these blessings... and now I have the opportunity to bless you, and you're not going to let me do it!' And I was like, yeah, when you put it that way, I've got to let you do it."

Johnston helped lead TCU to the CFP National Championship Game last season after catching 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns.

The Chargers signed Johnston to a four-year, $14 million contract, with a signing bonus of $7.32 million, to join Keenan Allen and Mike Williams on the Los Angeles receiving depth chart.

"The money is cool, but I don't plan on sitting there and blowing it," Johnston said, per Thiry. "I'm going to have it in my savings account. I'm not really focused on the money, I'm focused on football."