One longtime NFL safety received some league punishment on Wednesday. A former Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns star will miss the first three weeks of the 2025 season. Regardless of whether John Johnson III will sign anywhere.
The longtime defender received a suspension from the league office, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Pelissero never revealed the reason behind Johnson's punishment.
Johnson is currently available to sign elsewhere in NFL Free Agency. He never took part in any team's training camp. Johnson once became a late re-addition to the Rams back in Aug. 2023.
However, he won't be ready to play until Sept. 28. Each team would have already played two games before some hit a bye week. Johnson could attempt to wait until the month of October to sign anywhere. Especially for defenses needing safety help.
John Johnson III became the leader of Rams, Browns
The 29-year-old is not known for missing action due to NFL discipline. He's more renowned inside locker rooms for his leadership.
Johnson worked his way to captain during his first L.A. run. The former Boston College standout emerged as one of the first draft picks for Sean McVay. The head coach helped nab the defender at No. 91 overall in the 2017 draft class.
Johnson quickly established himself as a 100-tackle threat. He hit 119 stops during his second season — which was during the Rams' NFC title run of the 2018 season. He later piled 105 tackles in 2020, helping lead L.A. into the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Johnson wore the “C” patch during his L.A. run as he became a captain of the defense.
Johnson eventually signed a three-year, $33.75 million deal with the Browns in March 2021. Cleveland and head coach Kevin Stefanski kept him for only two of those seasons, however.
He re-landed in L.A. after making an appearance during one training camp practice in Irvine. Johnson started in eight games and picked off two passes. He tallied 42 tackles in '23. But he got limited to one start in 2024, though, due to a fractured shoulder blade. The Rams activated him for the wildcard contest against the Minnesota Vikings, but he played four snaps.
