Throughout the course of his career, he played for the Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Before his NFL career, Johnson played college football for Brigham Young University (BYU).

At the time of his retirement, his 51,979 punting yards were the third most in NFL history behind Sean Landeta and Jeff Feagles.

Johnson's most successful years in the NFL were with the Bengals, where he spent 11 of his 18 seasons and made a championship game appearance in Super Bowl XXIII.

He spent the rest of the year with the Vikings and played his final season with the Eagles before retiring from the NFL at age 41.