From The NFL To Children’s Literature: Inside The Business Portfolio Of Derrick Johnson

Name: From The NFL To Children’s Literature: Inside The Business Portfolio Of Derrick Johnson
Uploaded: 2025-11-20T16:54:25+00:00
Duration: 40 min 36 s
Channel: Forbes

Forbes

2 hours ago

Former NFL linebacker Derrick Johnson joins Forbes senior writer Jabari Young on The Enterprise Zone at the Nasdaq MarketSite. Johnson played 13 of his 14 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and made more than $50 million throughout his career. In the discussion, he reflects on his playing days, shares the business lessons he learned, and explains the passion behind authoring children’s books.

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00:00Try your best to be your best.

00:02Simple advice to apply to your life from one NFL Pro Bowl linebacker turned children's book author.

00:08Talking business, football, and life with Derrick Johnson.

00:13You're in the Enterprise Zone at the NASDAQ Market Site.

00:20Hello everyone, this is Jabari Young, senior writer at Forbes, and you're in the Enterprise Zone at the NASDAQ.

00:26And I have a special guest, Derrick Johnson, 14 years that he played in the NFL, mainly for the Kansas City Chiefs,

00:33made four Pro Bowls, played one year for the Oakland Raiders, the former Oakland Raiders, now the Las Vegas Raiders.

00:39Derrick, thank you so much for coming to the NASDAQ.

00:41Man, I can't refer to you as an NFL guy no more.

00:43You're a children's book author, man.

00:44I am, and I'm 40 pounds lighter, too.

00:46Ah, come on, man, you still look good.

00:48I'm sure you can still get out there and go sack some guys.

00:50Probably so, man.

00:51I'm glad to be here today.

00:52Yeah, I appreciate it.

00:53Why don't you come out of retirement, man, and Nelson right now?

00:54Man, I can use some of those books that you used to get.

00:58Well, listen, man, it's your first time here at the NASDAQ, man.

01:00So, again, thank you so much for making the trip all the way down from Austin, Texas, one of my favorite places, man.

01:04I love Franklin's down that way.

01:06But here we are in 2025.

01:08What's been the music?

01:09What's been the soundtrack to your life, man?

01:11What's been keeping you motivated, positive, creative, man?

01:14Has it been Sade?

01:15What's it been?

01:16It's probably more spiritual music, man, gospel, man.

01:18Just because, man, there's a lot of distractions, a lot of things going on in the world.

01:24And you got to be a calm spirit.

01:27You got to humble yourself in something that will ground you at the end of the day.

01:31So, some kind of Kirk Franklin, man.

01:33Something like that.

01:34Yeah, yeah.

01:34Kirk Franklin, man.

01:35No Marvin Sapp.

01:36You know what?

01:37I could do that, too.

01:38I could do that, too.

01:39Never would have made it, man.

01:40That comes on.

01:40You got to listen to it, man.

01:42Just listen to it, man.

01:42Yeah, yeah.

01:43Does it make you cry at the end, too?

01:44Because, like, for that song, when Marvin kicks it in the end, man, I start getting emotional.

01:48You do.

01:49And it's a lot of conviction about what he's talking about.

01:52Yeah, yeah.

01:52Most definitely, man.

01:53Listen, how's fatherhood?

01:54What's how fatherhood?

01:55Father of six children?

01:57You want any more?

01:58No, I don't.

01:59I'm done.

02:00Man, it's awesome.

02:01It's awesome.

02:02I have five boys and one baby girl.

02:04The youngest is the girl.

02:06And I thought it was easy with the boys.

02:09And the girl pops up, and it got harder.

02:12Yeah.

02:12It got harder.

02:12But it's awesome.

02:13And so I know, like, you know, girls make you, I feel like they make you love better,

02:18love differently, man.

02:19You're much more sensitive.

02:20You know what I mean?

02:21They do.

02:21And they got you wrapped around their fingers.

02:23And you know it, too.

02:24You know it, too.

02:24But I couldn't ask for a better daughter.

02:28Couldn't ask for a better situation with six kiddos, man.

02:31Life is busy with them.

02:32Yeah.

02:33But I'm enjoying it.

02:34Yeah, most definitely.

02:35Listen, 2018 is when you last retired in the NFL, right?

02:38Your last season.

02:39And you walk into a fifth grade class today.

02:43And they say, well, what is it that you do, Mr. Johnson?

02:46What do you, how do you respond to this fifth grade class?

02:48You say, I used to sack quarterbacks.

02:50Yeah, that's right.

02:51That's right.

02:52Well, that's a sneaky question.

02:54Just because football is what I did.

02:57It's not who I am, right?

02:58Who I am.

02:59I represent more.

03:00I represent being a child of God.

03:01I represent being a philanthropist, trying to help kids see a better life for themselves.

03:06So that's why I'm in those arenas of elementary schools.

03:12And really, at the end of the day, it's all about education.

03:15Being able to give them the proper resources to help them to reach their full potential.

03:19So I have a lot of influence on them because I was in the NFL.

03:22So I do have that platform.

03:24But now I'm telling them, hey, the real, hey, this is how you make it.

03:28This is how you be successful.

03:30Yeah, most definitely.

03:30So you don't tell them, hey, I'm a book author now.

03:32You just sack quarterbacks.

03:33I'm a book author now.

03:33You know what?

03:34I do.

03:35So I'm in those arenas now.

03:36And being able to have a book, right?

03:38My book is called Super DJ Saves Field Day.

03:42And it's simply Super DJ is a dad turned superhero that helps kids and encourages kids to tap into their own superpowers by trying their best to be their best, right?

03:53I think it's really, really some great components of humility, character, facing their fear.

04:00So I'm trying to give them some jewels from when I grew up to the kids now.

04:06Yeah, most definitely.

04:06I want to dive into your book a little bit more.

04:08But before I do, you know, listen, Thanksgiving, right around the corner, we're in the middle, right in the midst of the NFL season, man.

04:15I feel like teams know what they are around this time, right?

04:18You got the Colts, as we talk right now, the Patriots, the Broncos, all eight and two.

04:23Out of those teams I just mentioned, which one is the fraud?

04:25Oh, man.

04:26You know what?

04:27I think the Colts may be the fraud.

04:30You know what?

04:30And they're playing really good.

04:32They're running the ball.

04:33They're playing really good defense.

04:34But I just hadn't seen them up there like that consistently, so I got to pull out that.

04:40Not a believer in Daniel Jones?

04:41Not yet.

04:42Not yet.

04:43But that's the thing about football.

04:44You got to play the games and you got to prove people like myself, doubters, to say, hey, no, we're better than what you think.

04:51Yeah, well, listen, look at your Chiefs, right?

04:53Five and four at all.

04:54You concerned?

04:55A little bit.

04:56A little bit.

04:56Just because our division is really good, when you talk about the Chargers, when you talk about Denver, it's going to be hard to get out of our division without being beat up.

05:07And we started late, so now we got to pick it up.

05:10We kind of got to win a lot of games in a row.

05:13And can they do it?

05:14Of course they can do it.

05:15But it's going to take a team, team effort.

05:17Yeah.

05:18How about the Eagles, man?

05:19Listen, I know that they're maybe the favorite to repeat.

05:22I only mentioned them because they beat your Chiefs in the Super Bowl, right?

05:25And so, like, are you favoring them to repeat?

05:28I do.

05:29Not an Eagles fan at all, but I'll tell you what, man, I'm impressed with what they're doing over there.

05:34But at the end of the day, these players are very privileged to be out there and they're taking advantage of the opportunity.

05:40And Eagles is a prime example of they'll be really good for a long time, just like the Chess.

05:45Yeah.

05:46Yeah.

05:46Well, listen, as we speak right now, Derrick Johnson, Super Bowl matchup, right?

05:50Who you have right now?

05:51And let's say that the Chiefs still stumble.

05:53Give me a different AFC team.

05:55You already said the Eagles repeat, so I think the NFC will be Eagles against who?

05:59Probably say Denver or Buffalo.

06:03Wow.

06:03Just because Buffalo's always in it, right?

06:06Even the Ravens.

06:07But Buffalo is rearing their head.

06:09They're really, really good.

06:11They just beat the Chiefs, actually.

06:13But Denver's coming, you know, with a young quarterback.

06:16I think they're doing really good.

06:17They're in a tough division.

06:18If you can get out of the Chiefs division, I call it the Chiefs division because they've won the last nine division titles.

06:25If you can get out of there and beat the Chiefs two times this year, ooh, man, you're pretty good.

06:31Yeah.

06:31You're not a fan of the Chargers?

06:33I mean, Chargers look like they look scary.

06:35They are.

06:35They play the way that they played the other night.

06:37I mean, they look like they're legit.

06:39They are.

06:40And they'll be coming down the stretch.

06:42But it's kind of cool to see the new coach doing this thing.

06:47Yeah.

06:47Well, listen, man, again, Super DJ Saves the Day, right?

06:51And this is a book about a dad who turns to a superhero to help children overcome adverse situations, encouraging them, motivate them, tapping into their superpower in a way, man.

07:02What motivates you to write this book?

07:04And within that, what is Derrick Johnson's superpower?

07:07Yeah.

07:07Oh, great.

07:08Great question.

07:09Man, the mission and the inspirations just come from me growing up.

07:17This is a direct extension of my life.

07:19My mom's a schoolteacher for over 45 years.

07:22So being able to grow up in a house with a teacher, I know the importance of education and being able to put the right values in a book, right, to give them something that you say, wow, this NFL player told me to do this and told me to do this.

07:37Let me see if it works.

07:38And it really does.

07:39We all know if you fight through adversity, good things happen.

07:42And there's a unique, creative, fun way to bring that out in a book and Super DJ helping kids be superheroes.

07:53Well, what's your superpower, man?

07:54Man.

07:55What superpower do you use to write books?

07:56You know what?

07:57Probably my serving mentality.

08:01I'm always thinking of how to help someone to be better, like whatever that takes, right?

08:08Being able to bring out the best in everyone, especially kids.

08:13They're just, you know, more things are caught than taught with kids.

08:18So you have to be an example.

08:20And I'm a role model at the end of the day to these young kids.

08:23And I just can't, I cannot wait to give them the proper resources and advice so they can be very successful in life, man.

08:33Yeah.

08:33Well, listen, I was listening to a podcast you did in August and I think it was a Chiefs podcast.

08:38And you were mentioning on there how it was a challenge in a way to write this book with your wife, Brittany, who you wrote it with, right?

08:43And I was curious, what is the challenge in writing a book with your wife?

08:47Explain what that challenge was.

08:48Well, you know, you got to give and take a little bit, you know.

08:52You don't want it to all be me.

08:54You don't want it to all be your wife.

08:56You want it to do it together, collective agreement.

08:59We think alike.

09:00And that's a good thing.

09:02We learn more about each other, the input.

09:05When you have a mission and an objective to reach out to kids, some things can, even if things get heated of trying to accumulate enough information and make the book really fun and creative, it's still, you're still the objective, right?

09:22You've got obstacles, but what's the objective?

09:24It's to give the kids the proper tools to help them to overcome adversity.

09:29So it was awesome.

09:31We actually learned a lot about each other.

09:33So y'all wasn't ready to, like, the divorce in the middle.

09:35It's like, you know what, we can't stand each other, right?

09:37You can write this way, I'll write that way.

09:38Let's get out of here.

09:40That's what I was thinking at first, man.

09:41This is going to be tough.

09:42But my wife is really supportive in being able to just think about the kids more than ourselves at that time.

09:50I enjoyed it.

09:51So hopefully a sequel or something will happen after we.

09:55We got to push this book out first, but then we'll maybe a sequel later.

09:58Well, how did you go about doing it?

10:00Like, did you have to dedicate a lot of time throughout the day?

10:02Like, what was the process writing a book?

10:04How long did it take?

10:05Yeah, it took about a year.

10:06Took about a year.

10:07And you get a ghostwriter, so you can go back and forth with thinking about, hey, what do we put out to the kids?

10:15Of course, you have this ultimate goal, but at the end of the day, you know, to write a book is a little bit, it was harder than I thought.

10:23It was more challenging than I thought, which is, everything is.

10:26But we were committed to making sure that we get the right tools or the right words in there to help the kids at the end of the day.

10:35And it's a part of something bigger that you have, because, you know, you do have the DJ Discovery Dens, right?

10:40And these are library makeovers where you go into libraries and create these, you know, I would think learning, you know, sections of the library where kids can kind of come in.

10:49And 15 of those that you have set up in Kansas City libraries, six in Austin, one in Waco.

10:56And, you know, it's all under the Defender the Dream Foundation.

11:00What's motivating you to start these Discovery Dens and libraries?

11:03Because I was asking my daughter, I'm like, I said, hey, do your peers, she's in the seventh grade now, do they still go into libraries?

11:10She said, yes, but everybody's on their phone now.

11:12Yeah, yeah.

11:13So there's a digital concept to it, but the books are old school, right?

11:18But every elementary school has a library, and it should be the heart of the school.

11:24So my foundation, Defender Dreams, Defender Dream, it goes into Title I elementary school.

11:31So right now, these are the schools you walk in and you say, oh, wow, we need a little help, because the books are outdated.

11:38I mean, 30-year-old books, right?

11:40Things that don't relate to the kids nowadays.

11:42And being able to give them age-appropriate new books, man, for they can have more independent reading.

11:49I mean, now, when I say library makeovers, and we call it DJ's Discovery Dens, but it's essentially a makeover, right?

11:57And you go into there and liven the place up, functional furniture, and you give them all these new age-appropriate books, man.

12:04And it really helps the kids get on grade-level reading.

12:07So the science behind it is getting the kids on grade-level reading.

12:10These are inner-city kids before they leave elementary school, because there's a bad stat that a lot of them fall off after they leave, because they're not confident in reading.

12:19Yeah.

12:20Yeah, I tell you, listen, I tell my daughter all the time in her class, she has to read a one-hour day.

12:25But I'm always buying the books.

12:26One of our favorite places to go is Barnes & Noble, right?

12:29I love going into Barnes & Noble and saying, hey, listen, you go over there and start looking for some books, because I find that it definitely helps them, you know, especially in this age of phones.

12:38If you don't allow them to get off that technology and get into real reading, I mean, I feel like that helps.

12:44I'm glad you do that, because, you know, that's one of those things that's a lost art now.

12:48You talk about books, and you talk about this, and Barnes & Noble's like, you need to go in there.

12:53I mean, that's awesome that you do that.

12:55I think more people need to hear that, right, and put down those phones.

12:58Even though you can read on your phone, but there's a lot of other distractions in their phone.

13:02Yeah, it's nothing like it, too, man.

13:03I mean, you'll get lost in the bookstore if you stay there long enough.

13:06And they got the Starbucks and everything like that, so it's perfect, man.

13:08It's a great day trip to save money and, at the same time, have a good experience.

13:13What's it like being Derrick Johnson in 2025, man?

13:16I mean, when you go out and shorten the Kansas City area, you still get recognized.

13:21But what's life like in 2025 now that you're retired from the NFL?

13:24Yeah, I'm enjoying it.

13:27I'm enjoying it.

13:27I played so long, 14 years in NFL, where I don't have it no more.

13:34So that's actually a good thing because I've exhausted all my athletic ability out there.

13:39So when I watch football or I watch certain things or I'm around fans, Kansas City or in

13:45Austin with the Texas Longhorns, you would think, you know, that I'll be bitter or I'm

13:49trying, I want to get out there.

13:50I'm like, no, no, no.

13:51God has really blessed me to really exhaust everything into there, and I did what I had

13:56to do.

13:57And being 40 pounds lighter, having six kids, having a wife, I'm living a good life.

14:03Yeah.

14:04I'm living a good life.

14:05Well, what's your day-to-day nowadays?

14:06Like, I mean, before, I was talking to one player, and I know they get up early in the

14:10days, you know, when you are in the middle of it all.

14:12What's your day-to-day like now?

14:13Do you say, ah, it's 10 o'clock.

14:15I don't have to go nowhere.

14:16Because, Derek, I'm sure you're retired.

14:17You made a lot of money.

14:18You might be retired, but what's your day-to-day now?

14:19I am retired, but I do not wake up that late, man.

14:22I wish, I have, you know, still have, even though I have six kids, I still have two littles,

14:29like four-year-old and six-year-old.

14:30So they get up early, so we got to get up early.

14:33But I'm enjoying it, man, being able to be in some solid investments here and there, being

14:40able to go to the University of Texas and mentor football players on and off the field,

14:45be a philanthropist through my foundation, just being able to be a staple in the community,

14:51having that platform, platform from college to the NFL.

14:55Man, I've shaken some hands and kissed some babies that really allows me to change, change

15:00others' lives.

15:01Yeah.

15:01Yeah, well, listen, you're living in Austin now, right?

15:03It's a perfect segue because some miles up the road, I-35, right?

15:09That was down in San Antonio.

15:09I love it down there.

15:11You go up I-35 north and stop in Waco.

15:13That's when you grew up, right?

15:14You take a step back, growing up in Waco, Texas.

15:17What was that like for you?

15:18Small town, off the radar.

15:20Yeah, that's impressive.

15:2235, yeah.

15:24I know about them tricks, man.

15:25Listen, but I never take the 35 going to the door.

15:27I always take the toll rate.

15:28It's 85 miles an hour in the toll road.

15:30Oh, yeah, I know, right?

15:31People don't, 85 miles an hour, that's great, man.

15:33What was it like for you in Waco?

15:34Man, Waco's a small town, not much to do, actually, for a good reason.

15:41Less distractions, but you got to get out of Waco at some point.

15:46Either that's getting out of Waco is going to Baylor or being able to go to college,

15:50being able to get out a little bit and see a better life for yourself.

15:53It's not a crazy amount of growth in Waco unless, you know, Chip and Joanne is doing

15:59her thing down there in Baylor.

16:00But being able to just keep that motivation that, hey, of course, I'm going to give back

16:07to my city and come back here.

16:09But being able to get out and spread my wings, man, Waco has shaped me and mold me who I am

16:15today.

16:16So I am a humble man from humble beginnings.

16:19Yeah.

16:19And listen, do they not have, you know, the Buc-ies out there in Waco, man?

16:24I mean, come on.

16:25Buc-ies off the hook, man.

16:26Yeah.

16:27Off the hook.

16:27You've been on the road.

16:28Oh, man, listen, all through Texas, I love it down that way.

16:31You mentioned, you know, your mom was a schoolteacher and you come from a single-parent

16:34home, right?

16:35You, your brothers, raising four kids.

16:38But what was your dad?

16:39What did he do?

16:40Yeah, well, he was a construction worker.

16:42I did see my dad.

16:43He was in my life.

16:44So that's, I do have a good memory of me.

16:46He's passed away now.

16:47But being able to have both of my parents in my life was a big, big deal.

16:52It would be better if you had two in the household.

16:55That's just a proven fact.

16:57But my mom, man, she's a tough cookie, man.

17:00She didn't turn off that teacher mode when she was, when she actually came home from school.

17:05She kept it on.

17:06Yeah.

17:06One quote, man, you said, and you said, no matter where you go in life, you must have

17:10a sense of service to you.

17:12If not, you missed the big picture.

17:13That's something that you said was instilled into you from your mom.

17:16I want you to elaborate on that a little bit, that sense of service.

17:19We all are blessed in many different ways and creative or whatnot.

17:22And God has blessed us in being able to be successful and make money or be able to change

17:29people's lives.

17:30If it's all about us, you just, you kind of, you kind of missed that, missed that point.

17:36And being able to help somebody and being able to leave a legacy that's not just about

17:41you.

17:42It's about helping somebody else and bringing them up.

17:45And if you don't have that service and that giver in you, being successful is not really

17:53being successful.

17:54Yeah.

17:55Most definitely.

17:55Before that was instilled in you, though, man, what cartoons were you watching on a Saturday?

17:59Like, take me back to that one.

18:00You were eating cereal, waking up on a Saturday.

18:02No school, right?

18:03What cartoons were you watching on a Saturday?

18:05Squipped a gadget?

18:06Like, DuckTales?

18:07What was it?

18:07You know, for you to say that, I would go back then, because that's a peaceful, good

18:15time, right?

18:15You can wake up, no pressure, you know this and that.

18:18But being able to be a kid and watch cartoons, man, I was a big Bugs Bunny fan.

18:25And DuckTales, Smurfs, just all the old school stuff that you watched back in the day

18:31was big.

18:33But, yeah.

18:34Yeah.

18:34Did you always want to be a football player back then?

18:36Or did you want to be something else?

18:38I did.

18:39Because your brother played football.

18:40Yeah, he did.

18:41Football family.

18:42Yeah.

18:42So I got to, I actually had a advantage over other kids, because my brother was about

18:49six years older than me.

18:50He went to Baylor University, played in the NFL about four or five years.

18:53So even though I've done more than him, he was the trailblazer for my intermediate family.

19:00And, you know, I blew up the trail, because I did really, really well.

19:03But, man, I couldn't have did that without seeing somebody setting a great example in

19:08the same household as me.

19:09Not that it was easy, but it was one of those things where you say, hey, I know right from

19:13wrong.

19:13I know how to conduct myself.

19:15Yeah.

19:15Well, you always, you know, praise your brother for helping instill values in you when your

19:19dad maybe not had been around those times.

19:22Would you say the biggest thing you learned from your brother that you still use as a man

19:25today?

19:25Being a good person, man.

19:26I think that's, you know, you get popular, you make money, and a lot of other stuff are

19:35important.

19:36Like, being a good person, having humility, having character, treating people how you

19:41want to be treated.

19:42Man, that's how I judge somebody if they are successful or not, not by the bank account.

19:47Yeah, most definitely.

19:492020, or 2001, obviously, you go and attend the University of Texas, and you major in youth

19:55and community studies.

19:56Why that major?

19:57Yeah, it's under the education field.

20:00So, being able to work with kids, being able to mentor kids, being able to be a coach or

20:05a teacher one day, that was my inspiration growing up in my mom's family.

20:11It's nothing but preachers and teachers.

20:13So, having that instilled in me at a young age.

20:16When I went to college, I already knew what I was going to be doing, and being able to

20:20go out to different elementary schools, I can still remember this now, go out to different

20:23elementary schools, and these kids are looking at us like we're superheroes, and I'm helping

20:28them with reading, helping them with math, and doing different things like that.

20:32And this is why you were in college, they're looking at you like this.

20:34Yeah, this is why you're in college.

20:35Now, you know, being a Longhorn, that's our pro team in Austin, so it was a big deal to

20:40go out to the Title I elementary schools, these low-income areas, and give these, and

20:46really serve.

20:47It's all about serving.

20:47Yeah.

20:48Now, listen, before I go to the NFL, like, somebody lands in Austin, what barbecue place

20:52you send them to?

20:53Ooh, that's a good one.

20:53Which one are you sending them to?

20:55Franklin's is really, really good.

20:56I can't stand in line, though, just because it's...

20:58But it's that experience, though.

20:59They're in line.

21:00You got to stand in line at Franklin's.

21:01That's part of it.

21:02Well, when you're out of town or, yeah.

21:03But when you're in town, you know exactly where to go.

21:06So you go to the La Barbecue, or you go to Terry Blacks.

21:09Terry Blacks.

21:10Terry Blacks is probably the first, I should have said.

21:11Yeah, yeah.

21:12I mean, Terry Blacks is wonderful, man.

21:13In 2005, you know, you first round, 15th overall by the Chiefs.

21:18Played under four NFL head coaches.

21:20Get to that in a minute.

21:21Again, four-time pro bowler.

21:2252 million in your career that you...

21:25Over 52 million that you've made.

21:26An exercise that I like to do is I always like to call around to older writers or people

21:30who have covered the NFL long before I have, and I like to mention guys.

21:34And I did that yesterday with a guy named Clarence Hill, covered the Cowboys down in

21:38Texas for a very long time, from San Antonio area, lives up in Dallas.

21:41And I mentioned your name, because he went to UT as well.

21:44And he says, man, didn't get enough credit.

21:47You know, dominant middle linebacker, but he mentioned your durability.

21:50He says, man, this dude was special.

21:52You don't think he got hurt until it was last year.

21:54And I wanted to bring that up to you.

21:55How does one stay so durable in the NFL?

21:58Again, you last 14 years.

22:00And I asked the former NBA player, Andre Miller, this very question.

22:03He played until about 40.

22:05I said, man, how do you do it?

22:06He says, I don't pick up a ball in the summertime.

22:08I let my body heal.

22:10How does Derrick Johnson go about being so durable, playing all those years in football?

22:14That's a great question, by the way.

22:15I'm telling him I appreciate that.

22:18Well, being able to sustain that long, you got to take care of your body.

22:23Your body is your moneymaker.

22:25Now, I play a different sport from basketball.

22:28Being able to really, I mean, it's a crash.

22:34We're in car crashes every single place, especially playing as a middle linebacker.

22:39Being able to stay functional and stay aggressive.

22:43It really, really during the offseason, I don't do what he does.

22:48I'm actually getting it.

22:49I'm working hard.

22:51Now, we don't have pads on, we're not hitting each other, but being able to stay in shape

22:55during the offseason in a strategic way.

23:00Not that I'm just doing drills and doing a bunch of stuff, which I'm doing that, but

23:06being able to get massages, being able to go to chiropractor, being able to get my body

23:09in line, dry needling, doing things that my body needs.

23:12So when I get myself in those car crashes, I can be, I say car crashes, but you know

23:19what I mean?

23:19Like, when we go to training camp, I can really hone in that durability or take on those hits

23:27because I'm a middlebacker.

23:28I got to give them out.

23:29I can't really take them as much.

23:31And you got to have a sense of prayer life because you got to have some good luck in there.

23:38You can't just play 14 years and say, oh, it just rode it out, you know?

23:42So I've really been fortunate.

23:45And really the way I play the game, like, I'm a middlebacker.

23:48And you think of Ray Lewis, you think of hitting somebody, you think of old school.

23:52I was a little more slippier, slippier, so I wouldn't hit the linemen as much so I can

23:59use my athletic ability to get in the backfield.

24:02So that saved my body in a way.

24:04Yeah, from hitting, getting so many hits, right, coming at you, right?

24:07Yeah.

24:07I was going to ask you how you read the game.

24:09And that's, you know, maybe you answered my question for me.

24:11You just tried to avoid taking on too many hits.

24:13Yeah, which sometimes for coaches, that can be a nightmare because linebackers do do that at times.

24:19But if you don't have a knack for avoiding the blocker and then hitting the runner, you know,

24:26you're probably not going to be playing long.

24:28But I had a knack for it, and I was really, really good at it.

24:30And the key is being able to see the ball carrier and feel the linemen.

24:36So there's a scientific, you know, method to it that worked for me.

24:41Yeah.

24:41Well, you're on record as saying, as that middle linebacker, that Marshawn Lynch was one of the

24:46hardest guys to get down, right?

24:48He can juke you.

24:48He can power you.

24:49He can have to speed.

24:50Yeah.

24:50But when you had to look at a quarterback, right, that was standing right behind the

24:55center, who did you always look at and just shake your head and say, man, this is going

24:58to be a very long day.

24:59Was it Peyton Manning?

25:00I always say Peyton Manning because he was during your era.

25:03He was.

25:04But who was that guy you know was going to be a long day?

25:06Man, Tom Brady before Peyton Manning.

25:10Now, both of them.

25:11I mean, that's why I didn't win a championship because of those guys.

25:14Right.

25:15You got to meet up with those guys.

25:16But being able to be the quarterback of the defense, you got to know what that quarterback

25:20is doing on the other side so you can help your teammates line up and get going and anticipate

25:25plays.

25:26But Tom Brady was a guy that you say, man, this is a chess match.

25:29This is not checkers at all.

25:31I've never played against a quarterback that whoever messes up, the 11 players on the team,

25:39whoever messes up, he's going to find you.

25:41He's going to find it and he's going to exploit it.

25:43So everybody's got to be on their P's and Q's.

25:45Well, what made him so tough to play?

25:47Is it that because he knew and if he...

25:49Yeah, the mental part of the game.

25:51I mean, as quarterbacks, you want to pressure quarterbacks.

25:54You want to get them down on the ground.

25:56You want to make them uncomfortable.

25:57You know, get them off the spot.

25:58Tom Brady, we used to go into a game and say, hey, guys, we're not blitzing.

26:02We're going to drop everybody just because he's that good that he says, hey, you bring

26:06everybody.

26:07I'm going to find the weak link and throw it to the area I'm supposed to.

26:11So we dropped most of the time just because he's just, he's super smart, man.

26:15You got to give him that credit.

26:16Not, you know, not a fan of the Patriots or Tom Brady, but, you know, he's damn good.

26:22It was tough.

26:23Again, you played for four coaches in your career.

26:26I'm going to name two.

26:26You tell me the biggest thing you've learned from them.

26:29Obviously, Dick Vermeule being as though, you know, just a legendary coach.

26:33What's the biggest thing you learned from Dick Vermeule?

26:34Yeah, it was actually five head coaches, so Dick Vermeule drafted me, and I was only

26:39there one year with Dick Vermeule.

26:41He was an older gentleman, and 2005 was his last season.

26:46Probably, I learned the most from Dick Vermeule thinking back in 2005, what was that, 20 years

26:52ago?

26:52I would say just being able to be comfortable showing your vulnerability.

27:01Like, I've never been around a coach that cried as much as Dick Vermeule.

27:07In front of his players, like, that was okay.

27:10It wasn't any kind of laughing or any kind of looking at him funny.

27:14He meant what he said and what he felt, and he expressed himself.

27:20As men, we need to see that.

27:23We don't see that much, right?

27:24It's all about being a macho man, and that's a part, that's a lost art that's not in today's

27:31society when you talk about being in manhood.

27:34Yeah.

27:34Andy Reid.

27:35I'm from Philly, and so I know all about Andy Reid.

27:37I'm not an Eagles fan either, Derek, so don't hate him.

27:40All right.

27:40But I've known all about him.

27:42And listen, as a kid, wanting to get into sports journalism and seeing him on the television

27:47all the time, I'm very familiar with him.

27:49But one of the things that you said in another interview was is that how he was a rep guy.

27:54And I love this phrase.

27:56You said, reps eliminate fear.

27:59Reps eliminate doubt, right?

28:00When you have that repetition.

28:02What's the biggest thing you learned from Andy Reid?

28:03Yeah.

28:05Andy is, man, he's such a proven coach.

28:07He treated us like men.

28:09He's a coach.

28:10As soon as he walked in in 2013, man, I said, wow.

28:13You know, Philly let a really, really good one go.

28:16We needed him at that time.

28:17They probably needed a change, too, from Philly.

28:20But being able to be under Andy Reid, what I've learned the most is being able to handle

28:26the little things.

28:27He's always talking about, you know, little things could be showing up all the time,

28:31being able to wear the right equipment to, you know, going here or going there or just

28:36being able to handle little things.

28:38Because if you can do that, then the big things will come available to you.

28:42And you'll be able to handle it and sustain it.

28:45But he's always harping.

28:46Hey, guys, these are the little things that we need to do.

28:50These are the responsibility, accountability that I expect from you guys.

28:53Let's handle this.

28:54And big things will be for us later.

28:56Now, again, you did play one year in Oakland, right?

28:58And I'm only asking.

28:59We have some guests here that's from the Oakland area.

29:02What do you remember about that one year out that way, man?

29:04Again, I guess the Raiders are not there anymore.

29:06I feel so bad for that town, man.

29:08But what do you remember that one season in Oakland?

29:11Yeah, John Gruden actually hit me up his first year.

29:16He needed some veteran leadership there.

29:17So he hit me up.

29:19Nobody was calling or knocking at my door.

29:22So I said, you know what?

29:23Let's go to the – really, they're big-time robberies of Chiefs.

29:28That's right.

29:28You changed tracks.

29:30I know.

29:30Did the Chiefs face – did they hit you at that point?

29:32You know what?

29:33At the time, I'm sure they did.

29:34But that didn't last long.

29:36So I came right back around to the fans.

29:39But being in Oakland, man, it was a time that I needed

29:44just because I didn't know if I had enough yet.

29:49I was still looking for, hey, one more year.

29:52Do I still have it?

29:53And when you're on a team that's not as good,

29:56it showed you quickly that you say, all right, this is about it.

30:00So I needed that time.

30:01So I wouldn't – you would think I'd retire after the Chiefs,

30:05after 13 years, and say, hey, oh, I'm good.

30:08You know, I had 13 years.

30:09But I needed – I needed one more, one more year.

30:12So I said, hey, let's go to Oakland and see what I got.

30:16And it ended well for me.

30:19I went through half the season and then got sent home.

30:22And it was awesome.

30:24I was actually glad.

30:25I was like, all right, here we go.

30:26Let's start this life.

30:28And I had to look back.

30:30Yeah.

30:30Well, listen, before we transition to your new life,

30:33because I definitely want to talk a little bit of business,

30:34see what's in your portfolio.

30:35You had to describe your career in one word.

30:39What word would that be?

30:40Tough.

30:41Tough.

30:41Why tough?

30:42Tough, tough, tough.

30:43When you play linebacker at a high level,

30:49be the all-time leading tackler in Chiefs history,

30:51when you can make it to Pro Bowls

30:54and be the best at your position in the National Football League,

30:58the best sport and best league ever,

31:02there's one word to always describe that,

31:05and that's tough.

31:07Yeah.

31:07Well, listen, going inside of your portfolio, man,

31:09what do you like in business?

31:10And you got any real estate, car washes,

31:12fast food franchises?

31:14Like, well, what's in your portfolio, man?

31:15What are you investing in?

31:16I like to invest in probably small businesses

31:19and kind of put some tech into them

31:21and get them going just so you can sell them later on.

31:25Nothing crazy right now.

31:27I got a couple of med spas that we do.

31:30Med spas?

31:31Med spas.

31:32Med spas.

31:32Med spas, yeah.

31:33What are those?

31:34Yeah, well, enhancement for, you know,

31:36for women, for men,

31:39stuff that I don't really do,

31:41but I know probably mainstream Hollywood does it a lot,

31:46but it's seeping into all areas of the world.

31:50And you never heard of Med Spas?

31:51No.

31:52Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

31:54Where are they located at?

31:55All around.

31:56Okay.

31:57Yeah, all around.

31:57And these are enhancements when it comes to physical appearances and whatnot.

32:03A lot of people are probably getting mad at me for saying this,

32:07but a lot of people do it that you don't even know.

32:09But something I just got into, not active, just more of a silent investor when it comes to that.

32:16But just being able to, just to be present in the community, solid investments with little stuff.

32:23And when it comes to my portfolio, it's really diverse in a way where I'm not going for the long run hitter.

32:30I'm going for safe things, 5, 10, 15, stuff that I can yield that I'm going to probably automatically get that,

32:39but not really lose.

32:40I'm not into losing.

32:42Yeah.

32:43Yeah, well, you had mentioned before, too, about staying away from those get-rich-quick schemes

32:48and how that's, like, important.

32:50How do you identify them nowadays?

32:52Because they're so hard to identify.

32:54Like, is this real or not?

32:56What do you do to identify, hey, this is a get-rich-quick scheme.

33:00I'm not doing this.

33:00Yeah, you got to live a little.

33:02You got to mess up.

33:03You got to say, hey, oh, I think this is going to do it.

33:06And then you got to mess up.

33:07You know, the best learning lesson in life is failure.

33:11And whenever you can have times where you say, man, I shouldn't have put money into here.

33:15I shouldn't have put money over here.

33:17Or I shouldn't have listened to this person who talks really fast.

33:21You know, I think that's a prime example, especially for athletes,

33:25because that's where we major in, athletic or whatnot.

33:29But we have business savviness to us as well.

33:32So when we hear people talking to us, they have this grand scheme or whatnot.

33:37And we're the gateway to it.

33:40So things that we get told are really promising.

33:43And now it's easy to kind of knock away the fluff and say,

33:50oh, no, you're talking a little bit too fast for me.

33:53I'll pass on this one.

33:55And it takes your time to do that.

33:57But you have to.

33:58Well, are you talking to a young NFL guy now, maybe a guy who is, you know,

34:02ready to leave UT and enter the draft and get drafted?

34:05What would you tell them about handling this money?

34:07And NFL players now getting paid lots more than when you get paid.

34:11What advice would you give them about taking care of your money?

34:14Be grateful for the money you get.

34:16So you want to make it grow.

34:17So you want to get professional help around you.

34:22Not a bunch of takers, but a bunch of people that have your best interests at heart,

34:27especially early on.

34:29Because you're going to make you and you're going to have those people around you,

34:32mentors around you, and you're still going to mess up a little bit.

34:35But it's really going to hone you in to say, hey, you know what?

34:38I'm not going to do this.

34:40I'm not going to do that.

34:41It's just you've got to have a team of good people around you when it comes to financial people,

34:47when it comes to friends.

34:48You know, your circle, your ceiling is as high as your circle.

34:52Yeah.

34:53One word that you would name your business empire, right?

34:55When it's all said and done, you says, I want my business empire to look like that.

34:59What word would that be?

35:00Oh, probably safe.

35:02Safe.

35:03I like that, man.

35:04Listen, nothing wrong with safe, right?

35:06I want my business empire to be safe.

35:07That means you've got good investments.

35:09The money is there.

35:09It's safe.

35:10Yeah, absolutely, man.

35:11I love safe.

35:12Absolutely.

35:12Safe, yeah.

35:13Well, is there anything you look for in a business deal with trait?

35:16You know, before you partner up with someone, what's the trait that Derrick Johnson looks

35:19for?

35:19Now, it's one thing to have the numbers and say, hey, this is what you're going to make.

35:24Do I believe in it?

35:26That's a thing that you can sleep at night, too, right?

35:31And you can, if something does go wrong, you can at least say, hey, I believe in this,

35:36instead of saying, well, the numbers look right.

35:38Boom, boom, boom.

35:39Here you go.

35:39Yeah, got to believe in it.

35:41Yep.

35:41Yeah.

35:42Get you out of here on some fun stuff, man.

35:44Always do with a million dollar question.

35:45I think I know how you made your first million, Derrick.

35:47You played in the NFL for 14 years, right?

35:49And so how you made it.

35:51But how'd you spend it?

35:52How did you spend your first million dollars?

35:54Oh, man.

35:56I bought a Range Rover, a red Range Rover, had rims on it.

36:01Before I took it off the lot, I said, you got to put the rims, you got to put the TVs in the headrest.

36:06I didn't even have kids since this time, which is crazy now I think about that.

36:11But bought my mom a car, bought some jewelry.

36:15I mean, I splurged a little bit, but yeah, it was fun.

36:20I mean, I was 22 years old.

36:21Anything you would do differently?

36:23Would you go back and say, you know what, not the Range, give me the Ford?

36:26You know what I would do?

36:28Because it's jury-wise, it's probably simple, but I had a Rolex, a pearl face Rolex.

36:39I had a platinum band.

36:40It was nice.

36:42And it had diamonds in the middle of it a little bit.

36:45And then it wasn't flashy enough for me, so I traded it in for a Brightlin, a Bentley watch.

36:52It was all glistening and stuff.

36:55And now I'm like, well, I don't wear it.

36:57I don't wear it.

36:58You still have it?

36:59Yeah, I do still have it.

37:00Are you going to trade it in?

37:01I'm probably going to trade it in.

37:03You're not going to give it to one of your kids?

37:04No, no, not at all.

37:05It was a bad investment.

37:06That's a bad investment.

37:08I love it, man.

37:10When you look at the NFL, right, you look at some Outlook stuff, you look at the NFL as a business, right?

37:15What does Derrick Johnson see?

37:17It's a big business.

37:18It's almost like a bully.

37:20It's almost like a bully in a way where you have to be careful how you navigate that bully when you're in there.

37:27Being able, not being scared of the bully, but being able to say, hey, I'm not going to do this.

37:33I'm not going to do that.

37:33I'm going to do this.

37:35Maximize, optimize my opportunities while I'm in the National Football League.

37:39Because after you leave, I'm a person that played for 14 years.

37:42After you leave, you're going to see even myself saying, man, it was such a great opportunity to be a part of the National Football League.

37:52And it'll follow you.

37:53I don't care if you're a businessman.

37:54I don't care if you're a teacher or whatever you do after football, that NFL tag is on your forehead.

38:01Yeah, and it's like a gold card.

38:03I tell people, when I cover the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA, I go into a room, any business room, and start talking like that.

38:09Like, yeah, what was it like to cover pop?

38:10And it's like it creates that conversation, and then you get a chance to really introduce yourself to people.

38:14So it's one of the things I'm glad, man.

38:16And you have a way better gold card, because as you said, you play in the NFL.

38:20I'll get you into any – try this in New York.

38:21Say, I'm Derrick Johnson playing in the NFL.

38:23You'll probably get any steak you want.

38:24Everything is good, man.

38:26Look around the world.

38:26What country would Derrick Johnson invest in right now?

38:30Outside of the U.S., what country would you go for?

38:32Probably U.K.

38:33U.K.?

38:33Yeah, yeah.

38:36I'm starting to be able to travel more now.

38:40I'm not a – I hate long flights on planes.

38:44And, you know, my wife's trying to get me out of that.

38:47So we're traveling around here and there.

38:48But being able to just see other countries, I think it really helps our mindset to know what's really important.

38:59Because sometimes we live in our bubble, and what we see and what we are distracted with, it's not important at all.

39:07When you go outside your country and you say, oh, wow, that's not – oh, why am I buying this?

39:12What – hold on.

39:14It makes even more sense.

39:17Yeah, I love it.

39:17Get your idea on this, man.

39:19Listen, I love the book, Jim Collins, Good to Great.

39:22And I will ask you this.

39:24What's the difference between a good NFL middle linebacker and a great one?

39:28The mental aspect of the game.

39:30We're all big, fast, strong, God-given ability.

39:36But the mental aspect of the game separates you from good to great.

39:41When you can anticipate what's about to happen and then it happens and you take advantage of that opportunity, that really gives you more confidence.

39:54And at the end of the day, it makes you – makes you great.

39:58Love it.

39:59Super DJ saves field day.

40:02Derek Johnson, man, thank you so much for the time.

40:04Appreciate it.

40:05I say go Chiefs.

40:06Yeah.

40:06All right?

40:07You played for the Chiefs a long time ago, so I respect the go Chiefs.

40:09Appreciate it.

40:10I love Patrick Mahomes, man.

40:11Xavier Worthy.