<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>PHOENIX - The Patriots made an unexpected splash trading for Randy Moss last April. Might Bengals receiver Chad Johnson be next? Patriots in the Super Bowl The thought was tantalizing to Johnson yesterday at Super Bowl XLII. "It would be fun; I would love to play there," he said. "But right now, I'm in Cincinnati. That's where I am." Johnson, one of the NFL's top pass catchers, doesn't seem happy about that. As part of his role as a pitchman for Degree, the personable and outspoken Johnson conducted several interviews at Super Bowl media headquarters yesterday, and it wasn't difficult to detect the frustration he's experiencing with the Bengals. He was passively campaigning for a trade. While Johnson has expressed interest in playing for other clubs, this is believed to be the first time he's openly conveyed his desire to land in New England. When approached by a Boston reporter, Johnson said: "I'm going to be playing for your team next year." When the reporter laughed, Johnson put his hands together as if he were praying and looked to the heavens. Johnson has little leverage, but might be trying to create a stir to force the Bengals' hand. In April 2006, he signed an extension through 2011, and top Bengals officials have stated he is not on the trading block. Johnson's frustration stems from a lack of victories, and in a radio interview on "The Jim Rome Show" yesterday, he noted that he didn't feel everyone in the Bengals organization was fully supportive of him. Asked to elaborate later in the day, Johnson said: "I don't want to talk about it anymore." But he was more than willing to speak about Moss, adding that the former Viking and Raider landed in a situation he would envy. "He was given an opportunity to win," Johnson said. "You really know what you're going to get when you enter an organization like that, one that has won for a long period of time. He got the opportunity and got himself out of a bad situation he was in, and got to a good one." To do so, Moss accepted a reduction in salary, signing a one-year, $3 million deal with an additional $2 million in incentives. If a trade for Johnson were to come to fruition, financial considerations wouldn't be as much of a factor. Johnson is due a manageable base salary of $3 million in 2008. His deal also includes a $250,000 workout bonus, with $300,000 in incentives. The base salaries are $4.5 million in 2009, $5 million in 2010, and $6 million in 2011. Considering that the "franchise" salary for top receivers was $7.6 million in 2007, Johnson would be a financial value for any club.</div> Source: Boston Globe
