Selma native Michael Johnson agreed to a four-year contract Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals — the team where he spent the first five seasons of his NFL career.

Johnson was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, but it didn’t take the defensive end long to find a new NFL home. When the Bengals showed interest, he knew that was where he wanted to be.

“It’s a blessing,” Johnson said. “I had an opportunity to get back with my brothers into a team and culture that I helped build. I’m deeply involved in the community up there and it’s just great to be able to come back and to have that type of mutual beneficial situation.”

The Bengals’ defense struggled to find a replacement after Johnson signed a five-year, $43.8 million contract with the Buccaneers and left in free agency last offseason. Without much of a pass rush, Cincinnati slipped to dead last in the NFL in total sacks this past season.

With Johnson on the team, Cincinnati had finished in the NFL’s top ten in sacks the last three seasons. In his career, he has 30.5 sacks, including a career high 11 1/2 in 2011, which is the fifth best single season total in Bengals’ history.

Johnson fought through the most challenging season of his six-year professional career while in Tampa. He battled injury after injury and ended the year with 3.5 sacks and his lowest tackle numbers since his rookie year.

“I’ve played with a lot of injuries every year. That’s football,” Johnson said. “But I’ve never dealt with those types of injuries that I had. When I first got down there, starting in April both of my Achilles started acting up. The second play of the first game I had a high ankle sprain and I missed one week. That’s not smart. Then, in week eight I break my hand. I had never had any of those issues before.”

Despite all of the ailments, Johnson only missed two games last season. In his five seasons in Cincinnati, he missed only one game.

“Last year in Tampa, I missed two [games]. For what I had, that’s not bad, but for me that’s bad,” Johnson said. “I don’t miss time. I pray and I go play. I pray and I don’t worry, but that was a new experience for me. It was a character-building year. Mentally I’m a lot tougher now after going through all that.”

Johnson isn’t exactly taking it easy in the offseason. Johnson will earn a degree in business administration in May from Georgia Tech.

“I started [college] in 2005 and I went back in 2011 and in 2013,” Johnson said. “The main motivation is I tell kids all the time to finish their degree and go to school. I want to show them it is important by going back myself.”

Johnson was also in Selma last weekend for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. He had the chance to meet President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush as well as dozens of members of Congress and others who came to Selma to show their support.

Even when he’s out of town, the Dallas County High School graduate keeps up with his hometown though. He was at a Selma City Council meeting Monday, just so he could keep up to date with the latest happenings around the Queen City.

“This city is important to me and I’m proud to be from here,” Johnson said. “We should all be proud to be from here. We have an opportunity down here to do things people never thought we’d be able to do. I’m just excited and thankful to be a part of it.”

Johnson is always coming up with new ways to give back to the Selma community. He will hold his annual football and cheer camp on April 18 of this year. He also annually has “fun days” for youth where his foundation sets up games and activities.

Last year while in Tampa Bay, through his foundation MJ93, Johnson flew dozens of high school seniors from within Dallas County to Tampa for a weekend that included a trip to the aquarium and a Buccaneers’ game. He also sponsored holiday shopping sprees for needy families in Tampa Bay and Selma before Christmas.

He wants to do a backpack giveaway in 2015 among many other projects.

“I am always thinking about different stuff that we can do,” Johnson said. “If I could do everything I wanted to do, we would probably be doing something every other weekend.”

Whether he’s wearing Cincinnati’s familiar black and orange stripes or Tampa Bay’s pewter and red uniforms, Johnson said he’s always thinking about Selma and how his actions represent the city he so proudly calls home.

“I’m Selma strong and I’m built for whatever,” Johnson said. “This city has made me that way. I take that with me and I wear my city on my back and I wear it proud.”