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Ja’Vonte Johnson has been under center long enough to know that championship parades don’t begin in June, touchdowns don’t mean much in April, and that the hardest throws aren’t the deep balls — they’re the ones that come with the weight of expectation, legacy, and leadership.
Beginning his third full campaign as the Minnesota Monsters’ starting quarterback, the two-time TAL champion and face of the franchise is adding a new title for 2026: team captain.
The announcement, made by the organization Wednesday, formalizes what teammates and coaches have known since the moment he walked through the locker-room doors — the Monsters run through Johnson.
Ja’Vonte is the heartbeat of the team. He sets the standard in preparation, in how he communicates, and in how he carries himself in the biggest moments. When the huddle gets tight, the eyes go to him.
Johnson, 28, took the Monsters to back-to-back championship seasons in the TAL, finishing both years as one of the league’s most efficient passers. He led the TAL in touchdown passes in 2025, consistently stretching defenses with a live, accurate arm and uncanny pocket presence while also emerging as one of the league’s most dependable late-game closers.
In two postseasons, Johnson accounted for 57 total touchdowns — a testament to his dual-threat ability and the Monsters’ wide-open attack. Minnesota didn’t just win – it put on a show.
Yet for all the fireworks, Johnson speaks more about the drive home from the DECC Duluth Arena than the highlight tapes.
“Winning changes the city,” Johnson has said repeatedly, pointing to the growing fan base and the Monsters’ surge in statewide relevance. “When you see jerseys on kids, when people are stopping you at the grocery store, when you feel that excitement start to build every season — that’s when you understand why this matters.”
Johnson’s rise didn’t come decorated. Cut once, doubted often, and overlooked by some traditional scouts, his career began in smaller arenas, lesser-known leagues, and quarterback rooms without guarantees.
In those early stops — fighting for reps, sometimes fighting for contracts — he developed the edge that now defines his game. Teammates describe him as calm but fiery, approachable but demanding, a “players’ quarterback” with an unmistakable command.
When Minnesota secured him shortly before the 2024 season, the move sparked interest. When Johnson turned the Monsters into champions, it reshaped expectations.
“Getting that call from Minnesota changed everything,” Johnson said. “It was an opportunity, and all I ever wanted was an opportunity.”
Being named captain for the 2026 Monsters isn’t a ceremonial rope across his chest — it comes as the franchise transitions into the AF1, facing new opponents, new markets, and a deeper talent pool.
Johnson will lead a roster that includes returning receivers from both championship runs, a rebuilt offensive line, and a defensive unit that was among the best in the TAL’s final season.
Coaches say his influence begins well before kickoff: weekly film sessions he organizes, late-night text threads breaking down coverages, and blunt, constructive communication when practices need to sharpen.
Coaches and players know where they stand with Johnson. He’ll tell you what he sees, he’ll tell you what you need to fix, and then he pats you on the helmet and says, ‘Let’s go do it.’ Eveyone respects that.
The Monsters’ move into a new arena football era raises obvious questions — how will the team translate its dominance to a different league, and can Minnesota carry its momentum against new competition with deeper pockets and historic brands?
To Johnson, those questions aren’t pressure. They’re fuel.
“We’re not coming into a new league to blend in,” he said. “We’re coming to compete, and compete at the highest level.”
The Monsters will open training camp with Johnson not just as their starting quarterback and two-time champion, but now as the captain charged with steering the franchise into another chapter.
If past performance is any indicator, Minnesota isn’t planning on slowing down.
“We’ve built something real here,” Johnson said. “Now it’s time to go build the next thing.”
For the Monsters — and the fan base that has ridden the wave with them — the next thing begins with the same quarterback, only with a ‘C’ officially stitched to his story.
Howie, 71, is a veteran Duluth print journalist and publisher of HowieHanson.com, which he has operated for 21 years. He is the region’s first and only full-time online daily columnist, covering local news, politics, business, healthcare, education and sports with an independent, community-centered voice. Hanson has spent more than five decades reporting on issues that shape the Northland.
