Keyshawn retires, will work for ESPN

The former No. 1 pick was cut by the Panthers after the draft.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Keyshawn Johnson gave up football for a microphone Wednesday, retiring from the NFL and taking his opinionated voice to ESPN.

Johnson, one of the NFL’s top receivers during an 11-year career, agreed to a multi-year contract and will appear on several ESPN telecasts, including pre-game shows on Sundays and Monday nights.

“I’ve done everything I wanted to do in my career. I tried to find as much as I could to push me back and play football for one or two more years,” Johnson said at a news conference on the Southern California campus, where he played in college.

“I wavered time and time again,” he said. “I’ve lived my dream. Now, I’m going to live another dream. I think today is not as emotional as the last two weeks, thinking about it. There were times there were sleepless nights, wondering if this was the right thing to do.”

Johnson turned down several offers to keep playing, including one from the Tennessee Titans that could have been worth $8 million.

Jerome Stanley, Johnson’s agent, said his client agreed to terms what he called a substantial deal with ESPN.

“We’re very, very pleased,” Stanley said, adding that the Titans offered close to $8 million for two years with most of the money guaranteed.

Job offers

Johnson, who turns 35 in July, said at least a half-dozen teams offered him a job.

“Those guys were terrific, from Lane Kiffin to Bill Belichick to Jeff Fisher,” Johnson said, referring to the coaches in Oakland, New England and Tennessee, respectively. “They all wanted me to play football for them. At the end of the day, it just didn’t fit into what I wanted to do now.”

Fisher said Johnson informed him he was retiring Wednesday morning.

“He let me know that this decision had nothing to do with us and everything to do about him and his desire to move into the broadcasting business and leave his playing days behind,” Fisher said. “I’ve known Keyshawn for a long time and I am happy he is able to walk away on his own terms after a very successful career.”

Johnson worked the NFL draft last month for ESPN, which was impressed enough to offer him a job. He was released by Carolina three days after the Panthers took former USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett in the second round.

“When Keyshawn decided to retire from football, we jumped at the chance of adding him to our NFL roster, especially after his impressive on-air performance during the NFL draft,” ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson said. “He delivered passionate opinions and candid analysis, attributes that will make him a first-rate analyst in his new career.”

Johnson became the 16th player in NFL history to reach 800 career receptions and the 26th with 10,000 receiving yards last season, when he caught 70 passes for 815 yards and four touchdowns.