The wife of New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson is determined to set up NFL power couples — and “thousands” are already interested in her matchmaking abilities.
“The amount of emails I get daily,” influencer and TikTok star Chanen Johnson told The Post in a recent interview. “I get thousands of emails daily with relationship resumes of girls. There are amazing resumes and women doing incredible things with their lives. It’s not like [the women are saying] ‘Oh, I love the Saints, and I want to date a Saints player.’”
The 28-year-old Chanen — who has been married to Johnson since February 2020 — first floated the idea of playing matchmaker for an NFL player in October 2023 on TikTok, where she frequently posts relationship-centric videos that often feature the 27-year-old NFL pro.
Influencer and TikTok star Chanen Johnson and her husband, Saints tight end Juwan Johnson and their daughter J’adore at Caesars Superdome in 2024. Instagram/Chanen Johnson
“People want love. So that’s what we’re here for. People want to get matched up and we’re definitely gonna make it happen for sure,” said Chanen, who noted the couple is “very serious” about the endeavor.
“We’re waiting until it’s the [right] moment to share it with the world. There’s a lot behind the scenes that is happening,” she said.
Though Chanen did not provide further details or share the names of players potentially interested, she has Johnson’s full attention and support.
“These are things I’ve never even seen in my life… and they’re serious,” said Johnson, who initially pursued Chanen at a mutual friend’s birthday party during their college days at Penn State.
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) catches a touchdown over Los Angeles Rams safety John Johnson III (43) during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. AP
Meet the Johnsons
Chanen and Johnson rose to social media fame during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when they began filming TikTok videos on their joint account (@juandchan) about their relationship.
In July 2020, the video entitled “A perk to having a girl during the season” thrust the couple into the limelight, with their TikTok following later eclipsing three million fans.
“We just did everything, and that led us to the NFL wife routine and that led to so many different things and we capitalized on it,” Johnson said. “Everybody had an insight into our lives.”
Their signature “life as an NFL wife” videos typically show Chanen giving candid, behind-the-scenes looks at their non-traditional dynamic.
“It [relationship and marriage content] became a niche for us. I feel like we were one of the first couples in the NFL to start putting our life out there like that, and people were really interested. We’ve built such a great community of people who really do follow our daily lives. So now it’s really fun for us to be able to just do something casual and still get to share with people,” Chanen said.
Chanen now focuses on social media full-time after quitting a separate full-time position in the communications industry in Los Angeles as Johnson focuses on the NFL.
She runs the couple’s social media pages during the NFL season while at home with daughter J’adore Blessing Johnson, who will turn a year old in July 2024.
“We are better off as a couple having me be at home and handling all the other 99 percent of the factors that make a relationship [work] and he can handle the one, which is making money,” Chanen said in a previous TikTok video. “Cooking, cleaning, raising the children, handing all of the finances, taxes.”
An undrafted free agent out of Oregon, Johnson signed with the Saints on April 27, 2020, following the 2020 NFL Draft.
Juwan Johnson #83 of the New Orleans Saints runs the ball by Andre Smith #59 of the Atlanta Falcons in the first half at Caesars Superdome on January 7, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Getty Images
He signed a two-year contract extension worth $12 million with $8.5 guaranteed in March 2023.
Johnson finished his fourth season with the Saints with 37 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns.
The couple also makes income from social media partnerships and brand deals.
Not much is off-limits
Few things are considered off-limits for the couple.
“Honestly, we’ve gotten to a point where we had a lot of limits, and now in 2024, we’re at a point where our limits are pretty slim,” Chanen said. “We kind of post our entire lives as authentic as possible. Like what you see on the internet is what you’re going to get in real life with us.”
Perhaps the most sensitive moment shared on social media was when the couple disclosed they went through two miscarriages, which was mentioned in a 2022 year-end video on Instagram.
Influencer and TikTok star Chanen Johnson. Instagram/Chanen Johnson
“We do have certain boundaries because obviously, we can’t share everything,” Johnson said. “But for the most part… I mean, I feel like the most vulnerable thing that we’ve shown was our miscarriage.”
Although the miscarriage revelation was especially difficult on Chanen — “That was the hardest for me” — the couple hopes their candidness can potentially help others.
“We’ve learned so much and we got so much support during our miscarriages that actually helped other people who are going through the same thing,” said Johnson, a two-time dog dad who recently partnered with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Greater Good Charities to raise donations for the Shelter Bowl 2024, which helps feed and protect shelter pets.
“I felt like, if we don’t share those things, people don’t get deliverance from that. That’s the one thing that we help people do, because at the same time, we’re getting deliverance from their struggle or their trauma or scare or things that they’re struggling with.”
Future plans
When they’re not in front of the camera or traveling for NFL games, Johnson said he and Chanen are “pretty boring.”
“We really like small-town life. We’re going to try and live small-town life out there,” she said.
Beyond spending “maybe a month in Europe and just live like locals,” Chanen said the couple hopes to expand their family this offseason.
“We also want to have more kids, so hopefully we get pregnant this year,” she said.