Keyshawn Johnson Biography
Keyshawn Johnson is an American former professional football player wide receiver who played for the National Football League. He was also known for being the co-host of FS1 daily studio show known as Speak. While working at Fox Sports, he co-hosted alongside; Michael Irvin, Skip Bayless, and Richard Sherman,
Keyshawn Johnson Career
Johnson only played in eight games during his first season at West Los Angeles College. He eventually simply stopped attending practices. Johnson returned to football in 1992 after missing the previous season to organize his affairs. He did well enough to transfer to the University of Southern California. There, he played in 1994 and 1995 for the USC Trojans football team, coached by John Robinson. Johnson finished 1994 with nine touchdowns and 1,362 yards from 66 receptions. He ended with 102 receptions for 1,434 yards and 7 touchdowns in 1995.
He became an All-American twice while a Trojan. Following his 1994 college campaign, Johnson became the game’s Most Valuable Player after helping the Trojans win the Cotton Bowl Classic in 1995. Following that, the Trojans participated in the 1996 Rose Bowl, where Johnson caught 12 passes for 216 yards—a Rose Bowl record—and one touchdown as the Trojans defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 41–32. The Player of the Game award went to him. On December 31, 2008, he joined the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Johnson had an appearance on the TV program Coach while still in college. There, he was a player who could be selected in the next draft. He adamantly declined to be added to coach Hayden Fox’s fictitious “Orlando Breakers” squad, saying he would rather play in Canada. In 1997, Johnson earned a B.A. in history and social sciences from USC. Johnson became first overall by the New York Jets in the 1996 NFL Draft. Since Irving Fryar was selected by the New England Patriots in 1984, he was the third wide receiver to be chosen with the first overall pick.
Keyshawn Johnson NFL
He spent his three seasons (1997–1999) as a player in New York playing for Bill Parcells, who turned the Jets around in two seasons—from 1–15 in 1996, Johnson’s rookie year, to 9–7 in 1997 and 12–4 in 1998, the team’s first-ever AFC East Division championship. After the 1998 season, he had one of his best games in an AFC divisional playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, winning 34–24. Johnson had nine receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in that game in addition to running for 28 yards and a touchdown, recovering from a fumble, and intercepting a pass in defense.
But after losing to the Denver Broncos 23-10 in the AFC Championship Game the following week, the Jets got out of the Super Bowl by one game. Together with Shelley Smith of ESPN, Johnson wrote an autobiography titled Just Give Me the Damn Ball. The book detailed his experiences during his first year. On April 12, 2000, Johnson joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for two first-round draft selections (John Abraham, at number 13, and Anthony Becht, at number 27) in the 2000 NFL Draft. Johnson signed an 8-year, $56 million contract extension with the Buccaneers shortly after he got to Tampa Bay. This made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
He was then joining a team that had finished the previous season just one game short of the Super Bowl. Johnson later won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2002 following the hiring of Jon Gruden as head coach, who replaced Tony Dungy. Johnson had 76 receptions for 1,088 yards and five touchdowns. It was against the Eagles in the playoffs, he had eight receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown; in the Super Bowl, he had six receptions for 69 yards. He declined from the final seven games of the 2003 season due to his strained relationship with Gruden. A video clip of him yelling at Gruden on the sidelines demonstrated this.
He joined the Dallas Cowboys the following offseason, where he reunited with his coach from the New York Jets, Bill Parcells. The Dallas Cowboys acquired Joey Galloway on March 19, 2004, after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded him for the player. The Cowboys had previously exchanged two first-round picks for Galloway. Reunited with his former coach, Bill Parcells, Johnson lived up to the hype that surrounded him during his time with the Cowboys in 2004. He took over as a leader both on and off the field. He led the team in receiving yards and tying for the lead in touchdown catches. The Cowboys cut Johnson on March 16, 2006, to create space for Terrell Owens, a newly acquired receiver.
Johnson inked a $14 million, four-year contract with the Carolina Panthers on March 23, 2006. He was promised a $5 million signing bonus in exchange for this. He was supposed to be the number two receiver, playing opposite Steve Smith. On November 13, 2006, during the Carolina Panthers’ Monday Night Football game against the Buccaneers, Johnson made NFL history by becoming the first player to score a touchdown with four different teams (the Jets, Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Panthers). On May 1, 2007, the Panthers cut Johnson loose following his one-year tenure. In Carolina, he recorded 70 receptions for 815 yards and four touchdowns.
Johnson declared his retirement from the NFL on May 23, 2007. This was after he was rumored to have rejected offers from multiple teams, including the Tennessee Titans. According to a February 5, 2008, CBS4 Miami story, Bill Parcells contacted Johnson. Parcells allegedly assured him that he would have a place on the Miami Dolphins roster if he decided to come out of retirement. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl three times thanks to his all-around performance: in 1998 and 1999 with the New York Jets, and in 2001 with Tampa Bay. With 814 receptions during his career, Johnson tied Henry Ellard for 17th place all-time in NFL career receptions. His touchdown total of 10,571 yards received ranks 24th in NFL history.
Keyshawn Johnson NFL Career
Johnson became one of just three players in league history (along with Moore and Marvin Harrison) to reach 600 receptions in fewer than 120 games. He tied Herman Moore for the fewest games required to reach the 600 career receptions plateau in 118 games. He had the fourth-most receptions of any player in his first 100 games with 512 receptions. Marvin Harrison (591), Sterling Sharpe (524), and Lionel Taylor (516) are the other three. He caught a pass in each of his 135 games played during his first nine seasons, averaging 74.8 catches per season, to reach this level of output.
At that time, Harrison’s 139-game streak was the second-longest among active receivers, and it was the third-longest streak among all players (after Marshall Faulk’s 158 and Harrison’s 139). Over the course of his career, Johnson caught at least 60 passes in ten of his eleven NFL seasons. He recorded 1,266 receiving yards in 2001 and 1,098 yards in 2002, making him the first player in Buccaneers history to record consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Injury-wise, Johnson has only missed three of his 145 career games (including playoff games).
Keyshawn Johnson ESPN
Along with Chris Berman, Mel Kiper Jr., and Chris Mortensen, Johnson covered the 2007 NFL Draft for ESPN. He started working as an ESPN analyst for Monday Night Countdown and Sunday NFL Countdown in 2007. Inside the Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown formats, Johnson created a new segment called C’mon Man!, in which each panelist selects a play from the previous NFL week “revolving around either the play on the field or unprofessional behavior off it” that they believe to be either incredibly funny or, at the very least, understandable.
In addition, he has done radio work and served as an analyst for several ESPN telecasts. They include pre-game shows on Sundays and Monday nights. He worked as an analyst for ESPN Who’s Now as well. On occasion, when Jim Rome wasn’t available, he hosted Jim Rome Is Burning. Johnson’s mother unexpectedly passed away on January 23, 2011, Sunday NFL Countdown for Championship weekend. In 2016, ESPN brought him back to appear on SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and other shows after the station let him go for a short while.
Johnson took over “Golic and Wingo” as the morning host on “ESPN LA 710” KSPN on August 17, 2020. The show, dubbed “KJM,” will feature former NBA player Jay Williams as a basketball analyst in addition to Max Kellerman. According to ESPN, the hosts will share their personal viewpoints and analyses as they go over the morning’s biggest stories and the previous night’s events. Additionally, Johnson will frequently appear on “Get Up” and “First Take.” Beginning on June 30, 2023, Johnson no longer worked at ESPN.
Keyshawn Johnson Business
In order to further his business interests in venture capital investing, the food service, hotel, and real estate sectors, Johnson co-founded First Picks Management in 2005. Ingrid Roberts, his public relations and marketing representative, and Harvard Business School MBAs Glenn and Clarence Mah were enlisted to co-lead the organization. First Picks Management is a corporate website that Johnson and his management team developed in collaboration with athletes from the National Football League and National Basketball Association, such as Warrick Dunn, Dennis Northcutt, Terence Newman, and Joe Smith.
Johnson signed a contract in November 2008 for Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design, a weekend television series. He used his expertise in interior design to help others redecorate their homes in the July 2009 A&E program. Johnson starred in the highly regarded A Stronger Bond television and digital campaign for Jägermeister in 2012. Johnson’s participation in the 17th season of Dancing with the Stars was revealed in 2013. He was partnered with Sharna Burgess, a professional dancer. He was the first famous person to be voted off of the show on September 23.
Keyshawn Johnson Salary
Johnson boughtout his emaining multiyear ESPN contract which was worth about $18 million. While he was an NFL player, he accumulated total player earnings of $45,796,000.
Keyshawn Johnson Net Worth 2026
Johnson has an estimated net worth of about $20 million, which he has earned through his career as a football player and co-host.
Keyshawn Johnson Age
Johnson was born on July 22, 1972, in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is 54 years old as of 2026 and he celebrates his birthday on the 22nd of July every year.
Keyshawn Johnson Height and Weight
Johnson stands at a height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighs 96 kg (211 lbs).
Keyshawn Johnson Family
He was born in a middle class working family in South Central Los Angeles, California. He was brought up by mother, Vivian Jessie Johnson and is the youngest of his six siblings. Johnson is the uncle to Michael Thomas a former New Orleans Saints wide receiver. In addition, Keyshawn’s mother died in January 2011, and on the 23rd of January that year he was not present on Sunday NFL Countdown for Championship weekend.
Keyshawn Johnson EX-Wife Shikiri Hightower
Johnson was first married to Shikiri Hightower who is a Berkeley native and fashion junkie. The two tied the knot in 1998. While Johnson and Shikiri Hightower were married, they were blessed with two children; Maia Johnson, and Keyshawn Johnson Jr. However, in 2002, they had a divorce for reasons not known to the public.
Keyshawn Johnson EX-Wife Jennifer Conrad
Later on, Johnson started dating Jennifer Conrad in 2008, and in August 2014, they tied the knot after having been in a relationship for six years. their wedding venue was at a luxurious four-day beach wedding in Newport Beach, California. Together they were blessed with three children; London, Shyla, and Vance. However, seven months after their wedding Jennifer filed for divorce. They later tried to mend their marriage but subsequent divorce filings occurred in 2015 and 2016. They stated that the reason for their divorce is irreconcilable differences.
Keyshawn Johnson Children
Johnson has a total of five children from his two marriages. While married to ex-Wife Shikiri Hightower, they were blessed with a daughter the Maia Johnson who was bornin 1996. They were also blessed with a son, Keyshawn Johnson Jr. who was a wide receiver at the University of Nebraska where he studied.
While he was married to Jennifer Conrad, they were blessed with three children; London, Shyla, and Vance.
Keyshawn Johnson’s Daughter Maia Dies at 25:
johnson shared the news of the tragic loss of his oldest daughter Maia on his Twitter on March 15, 2021. Maia died at the age of 25, for reasons not known to the public domain.
Keyshawn Johnson House
Keyshawn Johnson was the previous owner of the custom-built, 11,746-square-foot mansion in the exclusive Estates at the Oaks community in Calabasas, California. The masion consisted of six-bedrooms, and nine-bathrooms. In the year 2014, Keyshawn sold the house to celebrity couple Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick for $7.45 million.
He was also the former owner of a luxurious property thats sits on 1.86 acres. the house features a media/game room, a two-island chef’s kitchen, elevators, and a home theater. The property also had a swimming pool with a spa, rolling lawns, and a sunken basketball court. Initially, he had listed the house for $10.5 million, but had to lower the price after a well-publicized disputes with his then-neighbor, pop star Justin Bieber.
Furthermore, he is also known for his other luxurious homes such as the Beverly Crest estate, which was once Esquire magazine’s first “Los Angeles Esquire House”.
Keyshawn Johnson Leaving FOX Sports
In July 2025, Johnson became one of the FOX team members who were laid-off. His daily debate show Speak was canceled by FOX abruptly and he heard the news of his firing via a phone call. The whole crew of the show Speak was fired including his co-hosts as a result of the networks programming. Despite his show having been wiped out, Keyshawn still has a remaining contract with FOX.
Keyshawn Johnson FOX Sports
While working for FOX Sports Johnson co-anchors alongside: