Chad Johnson

Former NFL receiver Chad Johnson (R) jokes with Cleveland Browns cornerback Tramon Williams during punt drills on the first day of training camp, July 29, 2016, in Berea. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

(John Kuntz)

BEREA, Ohio -- Chad Johnson disappeared from Browns training camp after only two days of guest coaching the receivers, and Hue Jackson indicated he might not be back.

But Johnson, who played against the Browns as a member of the Bengals for 11 years, told cleveland.com in a phone interview Monday that not only is he coming back -- he's not leaving.

"You really thought I was leaving?'' Johnson asked. "This is the funny thing. Hue Jackson allowed me to come in as an intern. I never told Hue I was leaving, so he's stuck with me until they force me to leave. I'll be here through January.''

Does Jackson, who invited him in the first place, know you're here to stay?

"No, but you can be the first to break the news,'' he said. "I agreed to come. I didn't say I was gonna leave.''

Johnson was gone by Sunday but "I'm coming right back. I'll be there (Tuesday morning). I ran into a small problem.''

Johnson said he flew home to Houston to talk to his 12-year-old daughter, Cha'iel Johnson, and explain to her that he couldn't be with her during the Junior Olympics over the next week.

Cha'iel is one of the best sprinters in her age group in the world.

"I had to explain to her, 'you've got to go out there and run well and be able to do so without me being here because I have to be in Cleveland,'' he said. "That's something I needed to be able to tell my daughter face to face, not over the phone, not via text and she has to understand that daddy has to work. She's one of the fastest in the world and it would kill her for me not to be there.''

Johnson said Jackson, who coached him in Cincinnati from 2004-06, will not be able to shake him now that he has this opportunity.

"Hue would have to pry me away from the game himself,'' said Johnson, a six-time Pro Bowler and member of the elite 10,000 yards receiving club. "I've waited five year for this opportunity just to be around the game again. You know how much I miss it? You think I'm just going to leave?''

Jackson indicated Monday that the demands of coaching may have proven to be too much for Johnson, who starred for the Bengals from 2001-10 and played numerous pranks on the Browns defensive backs over the years.

"Everybody thought he was going to be here the whole time,'' Jackson said. "I knew he wasn't. Chad came as a guest of mine. I wanted him to see what this was going to be like. I knew at some point in time Chad needed to go do what Chad needed to do. His time here was very beneficial because guys were able to ask him questions about playing in the National Football League.

"What were the characteristics the great players carry and what they're like and guys asked him those questions. It was good for me to have him around. Chad is very close to me, as we all know, but at the same time, he found out this business is rough. There's a lot of hours that we keep and I don't think Chad's used to that.''

Asked if Johnson was done, Jackson said, "I'm not going to say he's done. He can possibly come back from time to time, but I know that he's not here right now and he let me know that he wouldn't be here, so that's not an issue at all. ''

He indicated he knew Johnson was going to see his daughter.

"There were some things he needed to do,'' Jackson said. "I told him, 'Go do what you need to do.' Again, he has some kids and he has some other things that he needs to take care of, so I wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to do that.''

But Johnson has no intentions of staying gone.

"You don't understand, I miss the game so much,'' he said. "I miss being able to do this part. I miss the camaraderie, I miss the smell of the locker room, I miss competing. I'm not actually competing, but preparing those guys to be able to do so at the receiver position is my goal.''

It would take a team of wild defensive linemen to drag him out of here.

"I'm so thankful to Hue,'' he said. "The sad part for Hue -- the bad part for Hue is -- I'm not leaving.''

He said he doesn't know what the protocol is, but he's going to find a way to stay.

"Yeah, so we have to work something out no matter what,'' he said.

Johnson agreed with Jackson that coaching is a more demanding than he anticipated.

"Being a coach, let me tell you -- I have the utmost respect for every coach, and if I knew they had to go through what I have to go though from six in the morning to 11 at night? I wouldn't have caused no problems.

"It's unbelievable how time-consuming and how long the amount of hours you have to put in as a coach,'' he said. "It's much easier being a player and I don't think the players themselves understand what the coaches have to go through.''

He admitted that he has to adjust to the grueling schedule if he's going to make a go of it.

"It's unbearable for one because I'm not used to it, so I have to get my mind together,'' he said. "I have to get it together and you have to do it.''

But he looked like he was having a blast the first two days, serving as a defensive back in some drills and a punt returner in others. He laughed and joked with players and gave them tips and pointers along the way. He could be just what this young receiving corps needs.

"My favorite part is being able to interact with the players out there on the field,'' he said. "That's what I'm thinking coaching is. But there is so much more to it than just that -- and I learned it the past few days I was there.''

Johnson plans to become The Thing That Wouldn't Leave, even though Jackson doesn't know it yet.

"They're stuck with me,'' he said. "I'm basically part of Cleveland now.''