JACKSONVILLE – The difference is all the difference.
Antonio Johnson played for a Jaguars team in 2023 that struggled to finish the season, and he played for one during the 2024 season that never really got started. To Johnson, the difference between the 2025 Jaguars and those versions is simple and clear.
"We're just so close – we're super close," he said. "The teams I was on early were close, but we were close as positions. The defensive backs were close. The linebackers were close.
"As a team, we're genuinely close with each other [this season]. We can all talk to each other. We mingle with each other and we trust each other."
Johnson joined senior writer John Oehser for this Week 12 O-Zone Podcast, discussing among other topics his latest "binge watch." That's Harry Potter, and he provided some "insight" into the latter part of the series.
"My dog Harry couldn't catch a break," he said with a laugh.
Johnson, a safety and a sixth-round selection by the Jaguars in the 2023 NFL Draft, on a more serious note discussed why he has been more ready for extended playing time this season than he might have been the past two seasons.
Johnson, who started eight regular-season games in 2024 after starting the final three games in 2023, has started the last three games with veteran starter Eric Murray on injured reserve with a neck injury.
"I wanted it as a rookie and I wanted it since I stepped foot in Jacksonville," he said, "but what I had to go through in my first few years molded me into who I am now as a player – being able to see more ball and understand more ball.
"I see everything in a different light. I'm able to anticipate more than when I first came in. I move a little faster and I'm not second-guessing myself.
"Being able to play like that allows me to open up and be me."
Johnson, too, discussed the 6-4 Jaguars' task as they prepare to play the Arizona Cardinals (3-7) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday.
The Jaguars turned in one of their most impressive performances in recent memory last Sunday during a 35-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. That game followed a narrow loss to the Houston Texans the week before, and Johnson said the theme this week is playing as well after success as after disappointment.
"[Head] Coach [Liam Coen] came in Wednesday and the first thing he said was, 'That's the new standard,''' Johnson said. "We can't go in saying 'We got the game two weeks ago off our shoulders. We can't be dominated. We can't relax.'
"No. It's pedal-to-the-metal time."
To listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Johnson, tune-in below. For more interviews on the O-Zone Podcast, click HERE.
