Rosenhaus says Johnson will play in '08, but won't say if it's with Cincinnati

Chad Johnson's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Sunday that the Bengals wide receiver has no plans to sit out the 2008 season, according to a published report.

"Chad Johnson will play football in 2008," Rosenhaus told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday.

But when asked if he'll be playing for the Bengals next season, Rosenhaus was noncommittal.

"Our plan is for Chad Johnson to play football in 2008," Rosenhaus told the newspaper. "That is how I will respond to the report."

On Sunday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Johnson feels betrayed by head coach Marvin Lewis and is privately threatening to sit out the 2008 season if he isn't traded, according to a source.

Johnson was upset after the coach quit speaking to his receiver early in the season, according to the source. The Bengals wideout had been making the rounds with the media at the Super Bowl.

Johnson was asked on Jim Rome's radio show last week about whether or not he was happy with the Bengals.

"I'm not allowed to say. I get the blame; the so-called best player, I'm the problem. Someone in-house is spreading this," he said. "Maybe they want me to quiet down [and] stop being me. That is not going to happen. I can't function that way. I tried it. It sucked. There was no excitement."

Lewis has said he won't trade Johnson, who finished with a single-season franchise-record 1,440 receiving yards. Johnson has had six consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards and is under contract with the Bengals through 2011 after signing a $35.5 million extension in April 2006.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe