Canadian Theo Johnson reflects on injury-shortened 1st NFL season with New York Giants
23-year-old from Windsor, Ont., had his rookie year cut short by a foot injury
Theo Johnson's season was cut short, and his New York Giants finished near the bottom of the standings, but the Canadian tight end says he's happy to have his first NFL season under his belt.
The 23-year-old played 12 games — earning his way into the starting lineup — with 29 receptions and one touchdown.
Johnson, who's from Windsor, Ont., broke his foot in the American Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys, which abruptly ended his season.
He was drafted in 2024 by the Giants in the fourth round out of Penn State.
As his southwestern Ontario hometown gears up for this weekend's NFC divisional round playoffs with Detroit Lions fever — who play across the river from Windsor — he's focused on his recovery.
Johnson talked with CBC Radio's Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge about his first year and moving forward. Here's a portion of that conversation.
Tell us about your rookie season. Looking back, what sticks out with you?
I've come a long way since the last time we spoke, for sure … a whirlwind. It's been crazy.
They throw the world at you as soon as you walk in the door.
I feel like time's really flown by since I came in, but I think all in all, for me personally, it was a good year. I feel like I accomplished a lot.
I was able to work into a starting role as a rookie, which is a great accomplishment.
Obviously, we got a lot to work on. Not only me personally, but as a team coming in next year. But … I'm super grateful for the year that I was able to accomplish this for the Giants.
How did this year compare to maybe the way you always pictured it or dreamed about it growing up?
You hear about it from guys [you] used to play with in college about what to expect or how the league is, but nothing can really prepare you for just kind of being out there when the bullets are flying.
Every game, I kind of take a moment and just really take it in, where I'm at and what I'm doing.
I just feel a lot of gratitude for the situation I'm in, but, you know, it's big-time football, and that's all anyone that plays the sport ever dreams of.
I'm more grateful for the position I'm in.
Can you take us to your first NFL touchdown? What was that like for you?
That was our second time playing Washington. It was definitely not my best game. I had a few drops, and we're fighting to come back in that game. We're pushing a fourth quarter comeback, and it was a pass up the seam.
It was Cover 2 [defence]. I split the safeties. Daniel Jones gave me a nice high pass. I went up and got it, probably ran in for another ten yards.
That gave us a little bit of juice to try and keep pushing for the comeback. We ended up losing the game, but your first touchdown is always a really special one.
It's hard to score in this league, so that's one that I'm always going to remember. I got the ball mounted up on my mantel at home.
The team won three games, tied for the fewest in the NFL. What was it like to be part of a team that's sort struggling like that?
It's tough coming in every week and trying to put your best foot forward, and falling short is not easy, but it's hard to win games in this league.
I think the struggles that we went through this year gave me a lot of learning opportunities.
I'm going to take that into consideration this year, and this off-season, because I don't want to ever go through that again.
I think I'm going to play a big role, and being able to help turn this organization around and turn this offence around. We know what we do is just a matter about going out there and doing it week in and week out.
Your season ended abruptly because you injured your foot. What happened?
I broke my fifth metatarsal in the Thanksgiving game against Dallas, so I had to have season-ending surgery on it.
I'm doing great with recovery. I'm almost cleared and a few weeks out from being fully cleared.
My rookie year came to an end, but I'm back in the right direction now.
Are you going to spend much time in your off-season in Windsor with your family?
I'm going to be kind of in and out. I'm still here in New Jersey rehabbing, and I'll be here for the bulk of the off-season, just making sure that I'm getting my foot back right.
I'm going to spend a little bit of time at home and see my mom and my brothers and stuff because it's been a long time since I've been home — and it's been a long season, so I want to get away for a little bit.
Even though you're on the Giants, you must know that Windsor is pretty swept up by the Detroit Lions success right now. As somebody watching this and being from here, what does that do for you, sort of knowing that Windsor is definitely having a football fever right now?
It's really cool to see a good football program that can really kind of change the face of a city.
And with Detroit, including Windsor, it's just kind of cool to see the buzz and the spark that the Lions have given these two cities.
It's really cool to see … what it was to where it's at.
Do you expect to see them make it to the Super Bowl?
I mean, I'm not an expert on the Lions. I haven't honestly been keeping up too much with other teams other than the Giants. You kind of get into tunnel vision.
But I think they got a really good shot. They got a good quarterback. They're a super well-rounded offence.
We'll see if their defence can hold up with all the injuries, but I think they got a good shot for sure.
Q&A is edited for length and clarity