The New Orleans Saints brought back a couple of very notable pieces to their roster from a season ago earlier in free agency. On offense, that name was tight end Juwan Johnson.
Johnson was banged up multiple times a season ago. When he played, he was one of the better receiving options for their offense, though. They seem to think he will keep developing for years to come.
The tight end discussed his free agency process and experience recently.
Juwan Johnson talks Sean Payton, Broncos
The newly-extended Saints tight end shared two other teams who were interested him during free agency. Sean Payton's Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks were the two he brought up.
Ultimately, Johnson decided that his best choice was to return to the Saints and Kellen Moore's offense for the foreseeable future. He signed a three-year, $30 million deal to return to New Orleans.
It's no surprise that Payton had interest in the tight end. He knows his game well, but Denver was forced to pivot.
They needed up signing veteran TE Evan Engram to a multi-year deal just days later. Payton has always valued having a strong TE presence in his offense, and clearly, he had faith in Johnson's upside.
Johnson wanted to be "valued" and felt like some of the offers he received were low-ball deals for his services. The Saints did not do that, though. They gave him a deal he felt was fair.
"Grateful for where I'm at and where I'm gonna go" -- Johnson
Expect Johnson to be an important piece to the passing game for Kellen Moore's team in 2025. We will see if the Saints add another TE option in the 2025 NFL Draft. They also signed FA tight end Jack Stoll recently.
