If the 2025-26 NFL season has taught us anything, fans can never guess who is coming back to the gridiron out of the blue. Last year, 44-year-old Philip Rivers made a miraculous return to help solve the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback woes. Continuing this trend, wide receiver extraordinaire Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson has announced he is coming out of retirement for the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I’m coming out of retirement,” Johnson tweeted while tagging the Bengals on X.

The 48-year-old announced his retirement from the NFL in 2012 after playing his final season with the New England Patriots in 2011 and a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. He later moved across the border to play for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2014, where he ended his professional football career.

But throughout his NFL journey, Chad Johnson spent 10 seasons playing in orange and black after being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 36th overall pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. For the Bengals, Chad Johnson had 751 catches for 10,783 yards and scored 66 touchdowns in 151 games, becoming the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

Ochocinco also earned six Pro Bowl selections (2003–2007, 2009), three first-team All-Pro honors (2004–2006), and a 2003 second-team All-Pro selection in the Jungle, establishing him as an all-time receiver. After Cincinnati, Johnson had short stints with the Patriots and the Dolphins before playing in Canada, where he ended his football career.

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Since his retirement from the gridiron, Chad Johnson tried his luck playing soccer for the then-National Premier Soccer League side Boca Raton FC in October 2018. He made his debut for the club as a forward in a 1–0 win over Himmarshee FC. He scored his first goal for the club on October 20 after converting a penalty in a 2–0 win over FC Boca Predators.

However, this isn’t the first time Ochocinco has pushed for an NFL comeback. Two years ago, the 48-year-old made it clear that he would be open to playing for the Bengals as he responded to a social media post by the franchise that discussed a dream quarterback-receiver pairing and named Johnson and Joe Burrow as a possible option.

“We can still make this happen. I’m in shape,” he replied in the comments, but a return didn’t materialize.

While Chad Johnson has been away from professional sports for the last eight years, this recent tweet has certainly raised eyebrows. But whether the Bengals would actually resign their franchise superstar remains doubtful, as the orange and black have a loaded receiving room led by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The duo recorded 184 receptions, 2,258 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns, emerging as one of the best receiving pairs across the league.

Now, only time will tell if Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson scripts a historic comeback to the NFL at the age of 48. But in the meantime, the Bengals legend continues in his media role, where he recently grabbed headlines after calling out the Baltimore Ravens.

Chad Johnson slams Ravens OC over comments about Lamar Jackson

Chad Johnson had a livid reaction to the recent comments by Baltimore Ravens’ new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle after his recent comments, which appeared as a swipe at QB1 Lamar Jackson. Doyle said the team would “expect [the players] to be here,” even though offseason workouts are voluntary, during his introductory press conference.

Ochocinco, in response to this statement, pondered whether Doyle’s comment was a covert message for Lamar Jackson or the entire team.

“You don’t do that coming in as a new coach!” Johnson said on his Nightcap podcast with NFL legend Shannon Sharpe. “It’s dumb, and it’s stupid! Why would you piss off your QB with a message like that? It’s stupid!”

Chad Johnson has never been one to shy away from the spotlight. Be it with his latest announcement about a return or his comments about the Baltimore Ravens. Whether the Bengals move forward to bring back Ochocinco will be seen. But one thing is for sure: the legendary still knows how to make headlines.