Anthony Johnson Jr.

Anthony Christopher Johnson Jr. (born December 2, 1999) is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life Johnson Jr. grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida and attended St. Petersburg High School. He was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Iowa State over an offer from South Florida.

College career Johnson played cornerback for his first four seasons with the Iowa State Cyclones and became a starter during his freshman year. As a senior, he was named honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference after making 55 tackles with three tackles for loss, four passes broken up, and two forced fumbles. Johnson used the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to Iowa State for a fifth season. He moved to safety entering his final season. Johnson was named second team All-Big 12 after finishing the year with 60 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes broken up.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers Johnson was selected in the seventh round, 242nd overall, by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft. The pick had originally belonged to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was traded to the Packers in August 2022 for offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen. Johnson signed his rookie contract on May 5.

Johnson made his NFL regular season debut in Week 7 in a 17–19 loss against the Denver Broncos. He played 15 snaps during the game, 11 of them being on special teams. Johnson made his first career start in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams, covering for injured safety Rudy Ford. He played every defensive snap in the game, finishing with two pass deflections, one tackle, and one interception as Green Bay went on to win 20–3.

Johnson was released as part of final roster cuts on August 27, 2024.

New York Giants Johnson was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants on August 28, 2024. He was active for 9 games in the 2024 season, where he was primarily used as a special teams player. He would eventually record 21 snaps on defense, all of them coming in the last two games of the season.

On July 22, 2025, Johnson was waived by the Giants after a failed physical. He cleared waivers the next day, reverting to the reserve/PUP list on July 23. After spending the 2025 season on injured reserve, Johnson was released by the team on March 10, 2026.

Chicago Bears On May 21, 2026, Johnson signed with the Chicago Bears. On August 30th, he was waived as part of final roster cuts.

NFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2023 GB 12 4 24 18 6 0.0 0 3 1 1 1.0 1 0 0 02024NYG905230.0010000000 Career 21 4 29 20 9 0.0 0 4 1 1 1.0 1 0 0 0 Source: pro-football-reference.com

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR 2023 GB 2 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 Career 2 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 Source: pro-football-reference.com