Chad Johnson was enemy No. 1 in Cleveland during his 11 years with the Bengals, but the mercurial receiver has been helping out his former foe.
After leaving Browns training camp after just two days earlier this summer, Johnson said Monday he is re-joining the team, and this time, he isn't leaving.
"You really thought I was leaving?'' Johnson asked, via cleveland.com. "This is the funny thing. Hue Jackson allowed me to come in as an intern. I never told Hue I was leaving, so he's stuck with me until they force me to leave. I'll be here through January.''
MORE: Just how tough is Hue Jackson's new job?
Johnson, who was invited by Jackson as an honorary guest to help coach the receivers, admitted Jackson had not yet cleared him to stay. But the six-time Pro Bowl receiver seemed confident in his persuasion techniques.
"No (Jackson does not know I'm staying), but you can be the first to break the news,'' he said. "I agreed to come. I didn't say I was gonna leave.''
Jackson indicated Monday that Johnson may have met his match when it came to the demands of coaching.
"Everybody thought he was going to be here the whole time,'' Jackson said. "I knew he wasn't. Chad came as a guest of mine. I wanted him to see what this was going to be like. I knew at some point in time Chad needed to go do what Chad needed to do. His time here was very beneficial because guys were able to ask him questions about playing in the National Football League.
MORE: How Cleveland became NFL's scariest QB graveyard
"What were the characteristics the great players carry and what they're like and guys asked him those questions. It was good for me to have him around. Chad is very close to me, as we all know, but at the same time, he found out this business is rough. There's a lot of hours that we keep and I don't think Chad's used to that."
Maybe Johnson is ready for the long hours this time around.