Jon'Vea J'Qyay Johnson (born December 23, 1995) is American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Toledo. Johnson has been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Montreal Alouettes, Memphis Showboats, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks.

Jon'Vea Johnson
Personal information
Born: (1995-12-23) December 23, 1995 (age 28)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school:West Side (IN)
College:Toledo
Position:Wide receiver
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-MAC (2016)
  • Third-team All-MAC (2018)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Johnson attended West Side Leadership Academy, and was coached by his father in football. As a junior, he registered 47 receptions for 1,054 yards and 9 touchdowns, receiving All-area honors.

As a senior, he posted 73 receptions for 1,428 yards and 23 touchdowns, receiving All-state honors and was named one of the top 22 players in the state by Indiana Preps.[1]

He also practiced basketball and was a two-time All-state sprinter, finishing third in the 100 metres at the 2013 state finals.

College career

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Johnson accepted a football scholarship from the University of Toledo. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 12 games (one start), making 10 receptions for 142 yards and one receiving touchdown.

As a sophomore, he started 11 out of 13 games opposite of future NFL wide receiver Cody Thompson. He recorded 40 receptions for 773 yards (third on the team), a 19.3-yard average and 10 receiving touchdowns (tied for fifth in school history). He had 9 receptions, 182 yards (seventh in school history) and 3 receiving touchdowns (tied for third in school history) against Brigham Young University.[2]

As a junior, he started all 14 games opposite of future NFL player Diontae Johnson. He collected 42 receptions for 689 yards (second on the team), a 16.4-yard average and 5 receiving touchdowns. He had 5 receptions for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns against the University of Akron in the MAC Championship Game.[3]

As a senior, he was a backup behind first-team All-conference wide receivers Johnson and Thompson. He appeared in all 12 games (2 starts), registering 32 receptions for 660 yards (second on the team), a 20.6-yard average and 9 receiving touchdowns. He had 6 receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns against Fresno State University.[4]

He finished his college career with 53 games (second in school history), 125 receptions, 2,265 yards (eighth in school history), a 18.1-yard average and 25 receiving touchdowns (tied for second in school history).

Professional career

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Dallas Cowboys

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Johnson was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL draft on April 30.[5] He was one of the team's early standouts during organized team activities, but struggled during preseason games. He was placed on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury on August 30.[6]

Johnson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Cowboys on July 26, 2020.[7] He was activated on August 9, 2020.[8] He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[9][10] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 4, 2021.[11] He was waived by the Cowboys on March 19, 2021.[12]

Jacksonville Jaguars

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On March 20, 2021, Johnson was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[13] He was waived on June 19.[14]

Chicago Bears

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Johnson was signed by the Chicago Bears on July 27, 2021.[15] He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[16][17] He was released on November 4.

Montreal Alouettes

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On August 8, 2022, Johnson was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.[18] He spent the entire 2022 season on the practice roster and was released upon the completion of the Alouettes' season on November 14, 2022.[18]

Memphis Showboats

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On February 14, 2023, Johnson signed with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL).[19] He was released on April 10.[20]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

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On May 5, 2023, Johnson signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[21] On June 2, 2023, Johnson was released by the Tiger-Cats.[22] He was signed to the practice squad a couple of weeks later on June 14, 2023.[23] He was released on June 20, 2023.[24]

Ottawa Redblacks

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Johnson was signed to the practice roster of the Ottawa Redblacks on September 25, 2023. He was released from the practice roster on October 29 and signed to a futures contract on October 31, 2023.[25] He was released on June 1, 2024.[26]

Personal life

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His father Jason Johnson played in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "NFL Draft bio". NFL.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Williams has 5 TDs; Almond's FG lifts BYU over Toledo 55-53". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Woodside's 5 TD passes lead Toledo over Akron 48-21". Associated Press. October 21, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "West Side graduate Jon'Vea Johnson on the NFL: 'I was pretty much destined to do this.'". Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "Cowboys to Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents". Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Helman, David (August 31, 2019). "Several Young Draft Picks Among Cowboys' Cuts". DallasCowboys.com.
  7. ^ "Cowboys place WR Jon'Vea Johnson on the Reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of training camp". DallasNews.com. July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Eatman, Nick (August 9, 2020). "2 Players Removed From COVID List; WR Waived". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Helman, David (September 5, 2020). "Two LBs Among Notable Cowboys Roster Cuts". DallasCowboys.com.
  10. ^ Phillips, Rob (September 6, 2020). "Brandon Carr Among 15 Practice Squad Additions". DallasCowboys.com.
  11. ^ "Jan. 4 Updates". DallasCowboys.com. January 4, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  12. ^ Alper, Josh (March 19, 2021). "Cowboys sign Malik Turner, cut four players". Pro Football Talk.
  13. ^ "Jaguars Claim WR Jon'Vea Johnson off Waivers From Cowboys". SI.com. March 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Official: Jaguars sign WR Laquon Treadwell". Jaguars.com. June 18, 2021.
  15. ^ "Bears sign wide outs Justin Hardy and Jon'Vea Johnson, waive two". Windy City Gridiron. SB Nation. July 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 31, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears announce 53-man roster". ChicagoBears.com.
  17. ^ Mayer, Larry (September 1, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears sign 13 players to practice squad". ChicagoBears.com.
  18. ^ a b "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  19. ^ @USFLShowboats (February 14, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved February 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ @USFLShowboats (April 10, 2023). "Released" (Tweet). Retrieved April 11, 2023 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  22. ^ "Tiger-Cats release 21 in final roster cuts, including receiver Papi White". 3DownNation. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  23. ^ 3Down Staff (June 15, 2023). "Ticats bring back American receiver Jon'Vea Johnson". 3DownNation. Retrieved June 20, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "TIGER-CATS TRANSACTIONS JUNE 20". ticats.ca. June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  25. ^ "Jon'Vea Johnson". Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  26. ^ "Jon'Vea Johnson". Footballdb.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  27. ^ "Jason Johnson". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
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