Saints bring back key weapon for Derek Carr days after his arrival

March 12, 2023 ndowd

The New Orleans Saints are wisely bringing back Juwan Johnson after having signed Derek Carr.

In the wake of Derek Carr coming over from the Las Vegas Raiders in his free agency, the New Orleans Saints made another wise decision to retain tight end Juwan Johnson.

Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network reported on Saturday evening that Johnson will be back with the Saints on a two-year deal worth $12 million, $8.5 million guaranteed. He was slated to hit restricted free agency, but Pelissero added that this is essentially a one-year extension worth $9.373 million on top of what the lower tender would have been. Johnson sticks with the Saints.

As far as Carr is concerned, he has always had a great rapport with his tight ends professionally.

#Saints TE Juwan Johnson’s new two-year deal is worth $12 million, including $8.5M fully guaranteed, per source.

Johnson would’ve been an RFA, so in essence, this is a one-year, $9.373 million extension on top of the low tender. Max value $14.5M over two years with escalator. pic.twitter.com/NqLmoIMYqc

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2023

Johnson is coming off a breakout season with 42 catches for 508 yards and seven touchdowns.

New Orleans Saints bring back Juwan Johnson in wake of Derek Carr signing

Once again, this is another savvy move made by the Saints front office. Mickey Loomis is well on his way towards being a hall-of-famer in that department. Although the Saints have faded over the last few seasons, they are probably the favorites to win the NFC South at this point of the offseason. No, this is not a good division, but someone has to win it, so why not New Orleans?

While it would be hard to say Carr will develop a similar rapport he had with Darren Waller in Las Vegas, he does like to throw to the tight end a lot. Even more so, Carr likes to throw to playmakers in the slot. Dennis Allen may be a defensive-minded head coach, but he knows what he has in Carr. Keep in mind he was Carr’s first coach in the NFL when he was drafted by Oakland in 2014.

Overall, the Johnson signing is not what will get the Saints over the top in-division, or in the NFC, but it is another move in line with what they are trying to build. This is a team certainly capable of winning upwards of 12 games with Carr. If they get the right matchup, the Saints could win a playoff game or two. Having a little more consistency on offense should go a long way for them.

With Carr throwing him the ball, look for Johnson to potentially have closer to 750 yards receiving.

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