Chad Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, has been one of the most entertaining and successful players both on the field and in the media from the moment he stepped foot in the NFL.

Since hanging up his cleats after his stellar career, he has built a thriving media career for himself and is now reportedly in the running for a big new role at a major network.

Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports recently shared that Johnson could potentially replace Shannon Sharpe on ESPN’s First Take.

“A source with direct knowledge of the relationship between ESPN and Sharpe told FOD adding Ochocinco could allow ESPN to retain Sharpe’s audience after moving on from him.”

Chad Ochocinco could potentially replace Shannon Sharpe on ESPN’s First Take, per @MMcCarthyREV

“A source with direct knowledge of the relationship between ESPN and Sharpe told FOS adding Ochocinco could allow ESPN to retain Sharpe’s audience after moving on from him.”

(Via… pic.twitter.com/7Jg83A7A6O

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 31, 2025

Sharpe and Ochocinco host the incredibly successful Nightcap podcast together, so Ochocinco taking Sharpe’s role at ESPN after Sharpe was recently let go following the hefty settlement of his sexual assault suit would be an interesting turn of events.

It’s possible ESPN could retain its audience by making the move, but it’s a uniquely odd move in general, given the connection between the two.

One would think if ESPN wanted to truly wipe its hands clean of Sharpe, it wouldn’t hire someone who would be directly connected to him.

There is little reason to doubt that Ocho would succeed in this role because he is such a likable and knowledgeable personality in the sports media space, but this is an interesting report that could have a messy fallout given Sharpe’s current situation.

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