Former Arizona Running Back Expresses Desire To Retire As A Cardinals

Although he announced his retirement on Instagram about a month ago, David Johnson recently expressed his wish to end his career in Arizona during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show.

Speaking with Kay Adams, Johnson led with, “I would love to go back to Arizona… Whenever I go back to visit, I see a couple #31 jerseys of mine.”

Johnson was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft as the 90th overall pick from Northern Iowa University. He had an outstanding season in 2016, leading the league with 373 touches, 2,118 scrimmage yards, and 20 touchdowns. This stellar performance earned him a three-year, $39 million contract extension just before the 2018 season. Unfortunately for Arizona, Johnson’s productivity declined in the following seasons, and he struggled through 2018 and 2019 while the team changed head coaches twice.

Johnson was then traded to the Texans as part of the deal that brought DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. He played two seasons in Houston before concluding his career in New Orleans during the 2022 season.

Attention @AZCardinals@DavidJohnson31: “That’s my goal, to finish my career where it started, as a Cardinal” #birdgang @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/JEKb04FSK6

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) June 6, 2024

Discussing his desire to return to Arizona, Johnson said, “It would be cool to at least finish my career there, and retire as a Cardinals. That would be something I would love to do.”

He concluded with, “That’s my goal, to retire, to finish my career where it started as a Cardinal.”

While Johnson has already announced his retirement and the Cardinals definitely do not need a 32-year-old running back on their roster, the decision now lies with Arizona to allow the once-star player to officially end his career with the team.