Eric Maxwell Johnson (born September 15, 1979) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

Early life and college

Johnson was born in

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census. It is the home of Olin College. History ...

. He attended Needham High School and Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts. He went on to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he played

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He caught 21 receptions for 244 yards in

's come-from-behind victory against

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

in the 1999 Harvard-Yale Game, including the game-winning touchdown catch.

Professional career

Johnson was selected by the

in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL draft. When healthy, he was a contributor to the 49ers passing game. However, he missed all of

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

with an injury and missed all of

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

with an injury as well. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, he led the 49ers in receiving with 82 catches for 825 yards and two touchdowns. During the 2006 season, Johnson split time with tight end Vernon Davis, the team's first-round draft pick."Eric Johnson"
Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2013. Johnson signed a one-year contract with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in 2007. He was re-signed by the team on March 14, 2008. On July 31, 2008, the Saints released him.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

Johnson was married to stylist Keri Johnson whom he divorced in 2010. He began dating singer and actress Jessica Simpson in January 2010. They announced their engagement that November. The couple married on July 5, 2014, at the San Ysidro Ranch, in Montecito, Santa Barbara County, California. They have three children."Jessica Simpson welcomes new daughter"
''CNN''. March 20, 2019. In January 2025, Simpson revealed to ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' that she and Johnson were now separated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Eric 1979 births Living people American football tight ends American football wide receivers Belmont Hill School alumni Jessica Simpson New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Santa Barbara County, California Players of American football from San Francisco San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Needham, Massachusetts Players of American football from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Yale Bulldogs football players