Marcus Johnson (wide receiver)

Marcus Johnson (born August 5, 1994) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He has played 6 seasons in the NFL for four different teams and won a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles following Super Bowl LII. After playing college football for Texas, he was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft and spent part of the season on the practice squad before making the roster the next year. He has since then also played for the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants.

Early years
Johnson played high school football at Clear Springs High School where he was an all-state player at wide receiver and kick returner and also lettered in track.

College career
Johnson played college football at the University of Texas. He started in 18 of 42 total games played during his time at UT. During Spring 2014, Johnson was a member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. While at UT, Johnson was a physical culture and sports major with a career interest in either physical therapy or sports medicine.

Philadelphia Eagles
Johnson signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2016. He suffered a quadriceps injury early in training camp that caused him to miss most of the practices. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 3, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was released by the Eagles on September 13, but was later re-signed back to their practice squad on December 2. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 2, 2017.

After impressing coaches during training camp in 2017, Johnson made the 53-man roster on September 2. In Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, he recorded his first career catch: a six-yard reception. Johnson was a member of the Eagles' Super Bowl LII Championship team after defeating the New England Patriots 41–33. However, he was inactive in that game, including all other post-season games that year, as well as five of the six final games of the season.

Seattle Seahawks
On March 7, 2018, Johnson and a 2018 fifth-round draft pick were traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Michael Bennett and a 2018 seventh-round draft pick. The trade became official on March 14, 2018, at the start of the new league year.

Indianapolis Colts
On September 1, 2018, Johnson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for tight end Darrell Daniels. In Week 6 against the New York Jets, he scored his first professional touchdown. He was placed on injured reserve on October 16, causing the Colts to sign Dontrelle Inman, after suffering an ankle injury in that game.

Johnson was waived/injured during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 9. On October 1, Johnson was re-signed to the Colts' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 9 and played his first career start on November 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Johnson caught three passes for 105 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown, in a 38–35 loss. This season had been his most productive so far, catching 17 passes for 277 yards and 2 TD's.

On April 22, 2020, Johnson was re-signed to a one-year contract. He was waived on September 5. On September 23, Johnson was signed to the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on October 3 for a Week 4 game against the Chicago Bears, but reverted to the practice squad afterwards. He was again promoted to the active roster on October 10, for their Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns, and again reverted to the practice squad. For the third consecutive week, he was promoted to the active roster on October 17. In their Week 6 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded a career-high 108 receiving yards, where the Colts achieved a 31–27 victory. On January 2, 2021, Johnson was waived by the Colts.

Tennessee Titans
On January 6, 2021, Johnson signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season ended on January 18. He re-signed with the Titans on March 9. Johnson was placed on injured reserve on September 2, just after earning a spot on the 53-man roster. He was activated on October 9, and placed on injured reserve again on November 23 after a hamstring injury while facing the Houston Texans. This effectively ended his season. As a Titan, he played in 7 games, starting in 3, and recorded 9 catches for 160 yards.

San Francisco 49ers
On April 11, 2022, the San Francisco 49ers signed Johnson. He was released on August 30.

New York Giants
On September 6, 2022, Johnson was signed to the New York Giants practice squad. Johnson was elevated from the practice squad for their Week 4 game against the Chicago Bears, and again for their Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers. On October 15, he was elevated from the practice squad for the third time that season for their Week 6 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Because the Giants had elevated him from the practice squad for the maximum of three times that season, they officially signed Johnson off the practice squad on October 18. He finished the season starting a career-high seven games, while playing in 14 games, with 9 catches for 99 yards, including a 17-yard catch in his first career post-season game.

He had signed a 1-year, $1,035,000 contract with the Giants for the 2022 season, and became an unrestricted free agent the following year.

Personal life
Johnson's father Morlon, played college basketball at Prairie View A&M. Johnson's hobbies include listening to music and playing video games.