Derrick Johnson’s most memorable moments with the Kansas City Chiefs

The turnaround

After struggling the first five seasons of his career, Johnson turned the table and became one of the most prominent inside linebackers this decade, starting in 2010.

The 2010 season was a special one for Johnson for many reasons. The Chiefs started the season 3-0 and were the last NFL team to suffer a loss that year. The Chiefs went on to finish 10-6 and won the AFC West for the first time since 2003.

Individually, Johnson had his best season ever. Johnson set single-season career highs in tackles and pass deflections while tying a single-season career high with forced fumbles at the time.

Coming off a rough 2009 season, Johnson was healthy, appearing in 15 games. However, he only started in three of them. Johnson went from seeing limited action to becoming one of the best interior linebackers in the league at the time.

It was good enough to earn him his first big contract of his career. During the season in November, Johnson and the Chiefs agreed to a five-year deal worth $34 million.