Johnathan Joseph Calls It a Career

Johnathan Joseph, a 15-year NFL veteran at the cornerback position, announced on Thursday via Twitter that he was retiring from the league. The former South Carolina Gamecock was taken with the 24th pick in the 2006 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

His first five seasons were relatively noteworthy, as he finished with over 200 tackles, 14 interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns), and 76 pass deflections.

A majority of his playing days, however, were as a vital piece of the Houston Texans secondary. Joseph spent nine seasons with the Texans from 2011 to 2019, starting in 128 of 133 games he appeared in. In his first two seasons in the Lone Star State, Joseph helped lead Houston to their first AFC South Division Championship Titles in 2011 and 2012. The 133 games tie the corner for third place on the all-time franchise list along with former offensive tackle Duane Brown in terms of games played with the team.

Overall, in nine seasons, Joseph’s contributions helped lead the Texans to six playoff appearances. In his retirement announcement, he said… “Today, I retire from the NFL. In the summer of 2006, I signed my first NFL contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Fifteen years later, I can say I accomplished my childhood goal of making it to the NFL. I will never forget as a kid telling my father I wanted to be in the NFL.”

Overall, Joseph may go down as the greatest cornerback in Houston Texans franchise history, as he retires as the team’s all-time leader in interceptions (17 from 2011-2019), passes deflected and defended (118), and interceptions returned for touchdowns (four). Interestingly enough, out of the nine seasons he played with Houston, the team only had one season that did not end with a winning record.

Last season, Joseph did see some action between the Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals, but would later be placed on injured reserve to end the season.

While Johnathan Joseph may not be a well-known name for the cornerback position, he will be remembered by fans as one of the best defensive players to join the Houston Texans.