Eric Johnson: What to Know About the Former 49ers Tight End

Eric Johnson is the husband of singer and actress Jessica Simpson and they have been married for five years. And while Simpson has been in the spotlight for 20 years, Johnson is known by die-hard NFL fans as having played in the league during the early 2000s. Last year, Simpson opened up about her marriage and talked about how good of a husband Johnson has been.

“He’s always throwing around the kids, and he’s just an amazing father, it makes me want to stay young,” she said. “Like how can you be so active? I mean, watching the kids running makes me exhausted.”

Earlier this year, Simpson had her third child with Johnson and she recently revealed that she lost 100 pounds since then. Odds are Johnson was there supporting Simpson every step of the way.

But who exactly is Johnson? Here’s a look at everything you need to know about the former 49ers tight end.

Attended Yale

Johnson played college football at Yale which means he’s pretty smart as well as athletic. During his time at Yale, he had a monster game in 1999 contest against Harvard, catching 21 passes for 244 yards in a 24-21 victory. 

Drafted by 49ers in 2001

Because Johnson was able to make a big impact at a smaller school, he was drafted by the 49ers in the seventh round of 2001 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Johnson played in all 16 games and caught 40 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns. 

Breakout Year in 2004

The NFL began to take notice of Johnson in 2004 as he made history that season. He set the team record for receptions for a tight end with 82 and tallied 825 yards and two touchdowns. Many thought things were looking up for Johnson, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

 

Injuries

One of the big reasons Johnson’s career never took off was because of injuries. He missed all of the 2003 and 2005 seasons with injuries and that led to the team drafting Vernon Davis in 2006 — which also led to Johnson splitting time with him on the field.

Final NFL Season with Saints

Once his contract was up with the 49ers, Johnson signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. He was able to stay healthy for the most part in 2007, as he caught 48 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. The Saints re-signed Johnson in 2008 but he was cut before the regular season began.

Left Business School to Be With Jessica Simpson

Johnson and Simpson started dating in 2010 and at the time Johnson was attending a two-year business program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. The former NFL tight end pulled out of the program to be closer to Simpson. 

He doesn’t want to move to Philadelphia and leave her so soon after they got together,” a source said to US Weekly at the time. 

Keeping it Private

Johnson is different from Simpson when it comes to what he shares with the public. He doesn’t have an Instagram or Twitter account and the only time he’s seen is when Simpson posts on her Instagram. When it was announced that Johnson and Simpson were married, a writer from the New Orleans Times-Picayune said: “I never would have guessed that the journeyman tight end from Yale would be the Saint to marry a pop culture star.”