Tampa Bay's star receiver wants out of town, and the Buccaneers agree it's best he go.
``It's been a good run,'' Johnson said after the Super Bowl champions announced Tuesday that they were deactivating the disgruntled two-time Pro Bowl selection for the rest of the season.
``I'm sorry it ended this way, but I'll move on,'' Johnson said. ``I've had a pretty good career, and I'll continue to have a successful career and be a force in this league.''
The Bucs shelved the eighth-year pro, saying he had become disruptive during a disappointing 4-6 start for the defending champs, who have lost three straight and are in danger of missing the playoffs.
Coach Jon Gruden insisted the move wasn't personal. Johnson, unhappy with his role in the Bucs' offense, said it was.
``They can say whatever they want. I know what happened,'' Johnson said. ``I'm not going to bad mouth anybody, but how could it be anything but personal? I produced when I got the opportunity. I did everything asked of me.''
Johnson was the Bucs' third-leading receiver with 45 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns.
But he never understood why he wasn't more involved in Gruden's game plans. He voiced his concern to the coach and general manager Rich McKay last month, telling them that he wanted to leave after this season.
Johnson thinks he can play at a high level for five more seasons and would like to finish his career with a team that appreciates his abilities.
``It's a shock. I thought we would get through the year,'' Johnson said. ``Why would you do that when you're trying to win another championship?
``You're talking about your best offensive player. And you're going to let him go? That's basically what they did. It doesn't make sense. ... But that's OK. I'll be fine. It didn't work out (with Gruden). It was a bad marriage. Now, I'll move on.''
The Bucs said they would deactivate Johnson for the remaining six games. He will be paid his full salary and was not fined, McKay said.
Johnson, meanwhile, plans to spend the rest of the season working as an in-studio network television analyst.
``It will be tough on game day,'' he said. ``I'll miss my teammates. I've never been one to sit around and watch.''
Johnson is midway through an eight-year, $56 million contract that included a $13 million signing bonus.
He initially complained about his role in Gruden's offense last season. This year, he felt the coach was determined to prove the Bucs could win without giving Johnson a heavy workload.
``I went to them after the San Francisco game,'' Johnson said, referring to a 24-7 loss on Oct. 19. ``The next day he tried to turn the team against me. He thought I was jealous of other guys getting the ball. All I wanted to do was help the team win.''
Johnson was obtained from the New York Jets in 2000 for a pair of No. 1 draft choices. McKay said the 31-year-old receiver was emphatic about his desire to leave Tampa Bay.
``Following that, I really feel Keyshawn's actions changed,'' the GM said. ``His approach to us, to the organization and to the team, changed. A lot of mandatory workouts missed, a lot team functions that are football-related that were not attended and it became, in our mind, a problem. And one that needed to be addressed.''
McKay declined to say how many workouts Johnson skipped, or whether missing a mandatory team meeting Monday was the final straw.
``We're trying to win football games, and at some point you have to say this is not in the best interest of winning. We had another path we could have taken, which is to go down the disciplinary path. ... But this isn't about money. We're not trying to get any money back from Keyshawn. We're not trying to make an example,'' he said.
Gruden said he was disappointed that his relationship with Johnson didn't work.
``It's never a personal issue with me,'' the coach said. ``But when it affects the team, and it involves team policy, countless numbers of times, there's only one way to do business and that's what needs to be done today. ... This is a move we had to make.''
``It's been a good run,'' Johnson said after the Super Bowl champions announced Tuesday that they were deactivating the disgruntled two-time Pro Bowl selection for the rest of the season.
``I'm sorry it ended this way, but I'll move on,'' Johnson said. ``I've had a pretty good career, and I'll continue to have a successful career and be a force in this league.''
The Bucs shelved the eighth-year pro, saying he had become disruptive during a disappointing 4-6 start for the defending champs, who have lost three straight and are in danger of missing the playoffs.
Coach Jon Gruden insisted the move wasn't personal. Johnson, unhappy with his role in the Bucs' offense, said it was.
``They can say whatever they want. I know what happened,'' Johnson said. ``I'm not going to bad mouth anybody, but how could it be anything but personal? I produced when I got the opportunity. I did everything asked of me.''
Johnson was the Bucs' third-leading receiver with 45 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns.
But he never understood why he wasn't more involved in Gruden's game plans. He voiced his concern to the coach and general manager Rich McKay last month, telling them that he wanted to leave after this season.
Johnson thinks he can play at a high level for five more seasons and would like to finish his career with a team that appreciates his abilities.
``It's a shock. I thought we would get through the year,'' Johnson said. ``Why would you do that when you're trying to win another championship?
``You're talking about your best offensive player. And you're going to let him go? That's basically what they did. It doesn't make sense. ... But that's OK. I'll be fine. It didn't work out (with Gruden). It was a bad marriage. Now, I'll move on.''
The Bucs said they would deactivate Johnson for the remaining six games. He will be paid his full salary and was not fined, McKay said.
Johnson, meanwhile, plans to spend the rest of the season working as an in-studio network television analyst.
``It will be tough on game day,'' he said. ``I'll miss my teammates. I've never been one to sit around and watch.''
Johnson is midway through an eight-year, $56 million contract that included a $13 million signing bonus.
He initially complained about his role in Gruden's offense last season. This year, he felt the coach was determined to prove the Bucs could win without giving Johnson a heavy workload.
``I went to them after the San Francisco game,'' Johnson said, referring to a 24-7 loss on Oct. 19. ``The next day he tried to turn the team against me. He thought I was jealous of other guys getting the ball. All I wanted to do was help the team win.''
Johnson was obtained from the New York Jets in 2000 for a pair of No. 1 draft choices. McKay said the 31-year-old receiver was emphatic about his desire to leave Tampa Bay.
``Following that, I really feel Keyshawn's actions changed,'' the GM said. ``His approach to us, to the organization and to the team, changed. A lot of mandatory workouts missed, a lot team functions that are football-related that were not attended and it became, in our mind, a problem. And one that needed to be addressed.''
McKay declined to say how many workouts Johnson skipped, or whether missing a mandatory team meeting Monday was the final straw.
``We're trying to win football games, and at some point you have to say this is not in the best interest of winning. We had another path we could have taken, which is to go down the disciplinary path. ... But this isn't about money. We're not trying to get any money back from Keyshawn. We're not trying to make an example,'' he said.
Gruden said he was disappointed that his relationship with Johnson didn't work.
``It's never a personal issue with me,'' the coach said. ``But when it affects the team, and it involves team policy, countless numbers of times, there's only one way to do business and that's what needs to be done today. ... This is a move we had to make.''
