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To Football Fans, Jessica Simpson's Husband Might Look Mighty Familiar

by Lauren Schumacker

Jessica Simpson and husband Eric Johnson have been together for a long time — the couple is going to welcome their third baby seemingly any day now, but some fans want to know, does Eric Johnson still play football? Jessica Simpson's husband has played for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers, but he's no longer a professional player. Johnson retired from football in 2008 after seven seasons in the NFL.

Johnson attended Yale University and played football there before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, according to the New York Times. It was considered surprising, at the time, that Johnson would end up getting drafted and then becoming his team's starting tight end, but that's what happened, the New York Times reported.

Johnson played in San Francisco for most of his career before playing his final season in New Orleans. He met future wife Jessica Simpson after his playing career ended. According to Us Weekly, the pair met in 2010 when he was enrolled in a business program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, but he reportedly left school after meeting Simpson and moved to be closer to her in Los Angeles.

Nowadays, Johnson is dad to daughter Maxwell Drew, 6, son Ace Knute, 5, and soon-to-be baby number three (another little girl). And though he's no longer a professional athlete, that doesn't mean that football isn't still a part of things. Apparently, as People reported, when he had to bring something to school for show and tell, proud son Ace snagged his dad's San Francisco 49ers helmet to show to all of his friends and classmates (as you do when your dad is a former NFL player, naturally).

Simpson shared the sweet moment on Instagram back in 2017, capturing the video, "Show & Tell ❤️🏈#DaddysBoy #ACEKNUTE." So, clearly, Johnson's family is extremely proud of all that he accomplished during his football career. After someone helped clarify why Ace's dad used to wear the helmet, Ace put the helmet on his own head to model it for the class, as the video revealed. What a sweet moment.

Beyond being a dad, it's not widely known what Johnson currently does (perhaps he's a full-time stay-at-home dad), but his wife is certainly busy with all of her various endeavors, so maybe he helps her out or simply just wants to keep his professional projects under wraps.

He and the rest of the Simpson-Johnson household are undoubtedly preparing for their new little arrival, who's set to arrive on the scene very soon. Johnson and Simpson announced that they're expecting their third child in an Instagram post on Simpson's account back in September.

Whether Johnson is a stay-at-home dad or he has other professional projects going on behind the scenes, it's safe to say that his days as a professional football player have come to an end. That doesn't necessarily mean that football is behind him entirely, however. Maybe he'll find a job as an analyst or with a team, or maybe he'll end up coaching a little league team. After all, who knows the game better than someone who used to play it?