Along with teammates Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman, Johnson helped the Bears' establish the league's most productive defense during the season.

In 2006, Johnson saw more action due to the loss of injured Tommie Harris, allowing him to start 10 games, as the team reached Super Bowl XLI.

On January 23, 2007, two days after the Bears won the NFC Championship Game, Johnson was forced to appear in Circuit court to request permission to leave the State of Illinois to travel to Miami, Florida to play in Super Bowl XLI stemming from an arrest on gun charges late in 2006.

On June 25, 2007, three days after being pulled over for speeding and suspicion of drunk driving by the police in Gilbert, Arizona, the Bears waived Johnson, although there were no criminal charges.

[7] On September 18, 2007, Jerry Jones the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, took a chance and signed Johnson as a free agent, to provide depth after losing Jason Ferguson for the year with a torn right biceps.

On April 7, 2009, Johnson signed with Cincinnati Bengals, who at the time had a reputation of taking chances on talented players.

[14] In November 2005, Johnson was arrested at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago for possession of a handgun in his sport utility vehicle.

[16] On February 12, 2006, Johnson, while still on probation, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after verbally threatening a police officer.

[17] On December 14, Lake County police officers searched Johnson's home in Gurnee, Illinois and discovered that he possessed six firearms, including two assault rifles.

[18] Although Johnson was at football practice during the search, his bodyguard Willie Bernard Posey was arrested from his house for alleged possession of marijuana.

Bears coach Lovie Smith deactivated Johnson for the following game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers based on this incident.

[19] On December 16, 2006, Johnson's best friend and bodyguard Willie Bernard Posey was killed in a shooting at the Ice Bar in Chicago's River North neighborhood.

[22] On February 8, 2007, Johnson entered a guilty plea in Cook County's Courthouse in Skokie for violating his probation.

[26] On April 30, Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that kept him from serving additional jail time.

[27] While he was in jail, many of his teammates and coaches, including Brian Urlacher, Rex Grossman, and Lovie Smith visited Johnson.

[33] After retiring from professional football, Johnson attended Mesa Community College in Arizona to complete the requirements for a degree in sociology from the University of Washington.

[34] He created a counseling program called 'Moving the Chains', which helps ex-offenders learn from their mistakes and avoid negative influences in their life.