Former Cardinals RB David Johnson Retires

The former Cardinals RB announced his retirement after nearly ten years in the league.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) hands the ball to running back David Johnson (31) / Rob Schumacher/The Republic, Arizona

ARIZONA -- Former Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson is announcing his retirement from the NFL.

Johnson, who played eight seasons in the league, made the announcement on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by David Johnson (@davidjohnson31)

Johnson was a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft,

Initially entering the team has a fourth-string running back, Johnson established himself as the starter in Arizona halfway through his rookie season. Johnson's emergence was a big part of Arizona reaching the NFC Championship game in 2015 after scoring 12 total touchdowns and over 1,000 scrimmage yards.

2016 saw Johnson hit another level, rushing for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns to pair with 879 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the air as well. Johnson earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors while also matching Barry Sanders' streak of 15 straight games with 100+ yards from scrimmage, the longest single-season streak in NFL history.

Johnson injured himself in 2017's season opener against the Detroit Lions - a wrist injury that ultimately kept him out for the entire year.

Johnson inked a three-year, $39 million extension with Arizona and somewhat bounced back in 2018 with nearly 1,400 scrimmage yards and ten touchdowns.

2019 was a massive down year for Johnson, which ultimately prompted the infamous trade to the Houston Texans for DeAndre Hopkins the following offseason.

Johnson rushed for just 919 yards across the next two years in Houston before landing on the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints in 2022.

He did not play in 2023.

Johnson is well-respected within the Cardinals' fan base for his contributions, and though his success didn't last as long as he would have liked, Johnson still managed to have a strong career in the NFL.