Former Vikings defensive tackle is done playing in the NFL

Back in 2014, the Minnesota Vikings decided to add veteran defensive tackle Tom Johnson to the mix as part of their attempt to overhaul the defense.

Johnson had experienced some mild success with the New Orleans Saints before arriving in Minnesota. But the veteran defensive tackle really seemed to come into his own once he joined the Vikings.

In five seasons with Minnesota, Johnson ended up appearing in 75 games (starting in 25 of them) and racking up a total of 20.5 sacks. In 2017, he was a key piece of a Vikings defense that gave up a league-low, 15.8 points per game.

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle is enjoying retirement.

In a recent conversation with the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, Johnson revealed that he is, “officially retired,” from the NFL. He is now 35-years-old and he also mentioned that he currently spends his time working in commercial real estate.

Johnson had a unique path to the NFL considering he didn’t play in his first game until 2011 when he was 27-years-old.

Originally, he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss. Nothing ended up working out with the Colts and Johnson went on to spend time in NFL Europe, the Arena Football League, and the Canadian Football League until 2011 when he signed with the Saints.

Coincidentally, his first sack in the NFL actually came against the Vikings during a Week 15 matchup in 2011 that saw him bring down former Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder.

After three seasons with New Orleans, Johnson signed with the Vikings in 2014 and he went on to spend the majority of his next five years in the league with the purple and gold.

During his career with Minnesota, he emerged as a good weapon for the defense to use on passing downs. Johnson’s pass-rushing skills allowed him to accumulate a total of 14 sacks in his first three seasons with the Vikings despite only being in the starting lineup 10 times.

In 2018, after Minnesota decided to pursue free-agent defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, Johnson ended up with the Seattle Seahawks. But early in the 2018 season, the Vikings were able to bring the veteran defensive tackle back after the Seahawks made the decision to release him.

That turned out to be the last year Johnson suited up for an NFL team and now we know he’s been enjoying retirement ever since.