Getty The Eagles could be an ideal landing spot for their former quarterback, Nick Foles.
Cincinnati Bengals legend Chad Johnson was a guest of honor at DeVonta Smith’s annual celebrity softball game where he made a brutally honest revelation. The six-time Pro Bowler wished he would have played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
That’s right. Johnson (sometimes known as Chad Ochocinco) has been serving as an unofficial ambassador for the City of Brotherly Love since living there for a few weeks in 2022. He was back in town — well, close enough, in the Lehigh Valley — and continued his PR push. Johnson was wowed by the passion of Eagles fans, especially their infamous booing of Santa Claus.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Johnson told reporters on June 10, via NJ Advance Media’s Chris Franklin. “I like how they call people d**** and s***. There is no fanbase like this. They f****** beat up Santa. Who does that? I fell in love with the city, hearing the stories in the couple of months training with Boots. I wished I would have been able to play here.”
Here’s former Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco on his feelings about Philadelphia and the fans (NSFW language included)
Johnson came close to getting his wish back in 2009 when the Giants and Eagles were linked to the star receiver in trade talks. The asking price was way too high and neither team pounced. Later, Johnson got traded to the New England Patriots before leaving the NFL for good following the 2012 season. He retired with 766 receptions for 11,059 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns in 167 games.
His numbers are worthy of a Gold Jacket and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, although his mercurial attitude may give voters pause. Johnson had his fair share of controversies off the football field, too.
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Terrell Owens Praises Eagles WR DeVonta Smith
Former Eagles great Terrell Owens participated in Smith’s second-annual celebrity softball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. The Hall of Famer took home MVP honors after he swatted a two-run homer in a 14-5 victory for Team Smith. (The charity event raised funds for St. Luke’s University Health Network).
Jalen Hurts and Terrell Owens at DeVonta Smith’s charity softball game yesterday. 📸🦅
Owens, who was the king of drama during 21 games in midnight green, took a moment to show love for the event’s host. He has been following Smith’s career dating back to his college days at Alabama in 2018.
“I’ve admired this guy’s game for so long. He’s been excelling ever since,” Owens told The Inquirer’s Josh Tolentino. “He’s obviously doing really great things in Philly, where the expectations are high … his game speaks for itself.”
Terrell Owens on DeVonta Smith: “I’ve admired this guy’s game for so long.”
Nick Sirianni Breaks OTAs, Sends Simple Message
Head coach Nick Sirianni delivered a simple message to his troops when he broke Eagles OTAs on June 8. He instructed his players to come back in great shape and to stay out of the news. That’s it. Otherwise, enjoy the next six weeks of freedom.
“You want them to come back in great shape, and you want them to make sure they’re doing the right things off the field,” Sirianni told reporters. “But those would be the main two things that I’m going to say after practice would be to come back in the best shape of your life and make sure we’re doing the right things to stay out of the news.”