The 2011 season marked the end of Chad Johnson’s playing career. Having played in the NFL years ago, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver made his feelings clear about still not being inducted into the Hall of Fame. The conversation sparked after a bold message from a fan.

“Steve? Yes. Me? No,” said Johnson during a new episode of the Nightcap podcast when co-host Shannon Sharpe read out the comment. “I don’t need that. I like my little jacket I made. It fits me. It fits my personality. Steve [Smith] definitely belongs in it though.”

The podcast was streamed live, and fans dropped comments in the super chat. One of the comments caught the hosts’ attention.

“I’m being sincere when I say this, I think Steve Smith and Ocho deserve to be inducted into the HoF. With what they both were able to with the teams they were on, I think it’s a given they should,” wrote a fan.

Even though it might just be a comment from one fan, Johnson’s NFL career led the discussion to go further. He was drafted at one of the darkest times in Bengals’ history during the 2001 NFL Draft, after a 4-12 season. But Johnson went on to prove himself amid that demanding situation. 

Johnson stood out because of his footwork, even though he was not a big-statured wide receiver. But in the end, the ticket to the Hall of Fame is stats. During his 11-season NFL career, Johnson had 766 receptions, 11,059 receiving yards, and 67 touchdowns. Notably, he finished with more catches and touchdowns than Michael Irvin and more catches and receiving yards than Lance Alworth, Raymond Berry, Paul Warfield, and Charley Taylor. 

Yet he has not made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Accepting it, he pushed former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith as the deserving candidate. Unlike Johnson, Smith has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. However, he fell short in the voting round. 

While Johnson pushed Smith to the pedestal, he seemed content with the jacket he made. This is not the first time he mentioned his special jacket. 

“Craziest celebration for me is putting on the Hall of Fame jacket after I scored. That didn’t sit well with anybody,” said Johnson in an episode of The Late Run Show podcast in April. “You know they play politics, and I felt it at that time. I watched my stats and knew if I scored tonight and went over a certain amount on yards, that would be a huge achievement. As far as I am concerned, I am Hall of Fame worthy, so I made me a fake jacket and put it on.”

During his Cincinnati tenure, Ochocinco celebrated a touchdown in 2007 by donning a fake Hall of Fame jacket that carried the phrase, “Future H.O.F 20??”

Johnson earned six Pro Bowl selections and led the NFL in receiving yards in 2006. Although he has not yet received Hall of Fame recognition, he did not let that stop him and created a jacket for himself.