Johnson is coming off a career year in terms of receptions and receiving yards, which netted him a new contract with the Saints.
The Seattle Seahawks brought in one New Orleans Saints free agent to reunite with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and they were in pursuit of a second.
Tight end Juwan Johnson told New Orleans media on Monday that two teams were in hot pursuit of him once he hit the FA market. Unsurprisingly, Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos were one of those teams, while the other one was the Seahawks.
Juwan Johnson said the Broncos and Seahawks were after him. A conversation with Kellen Moore won him over to come here.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 17, 2025
The ties to both teams are obvious. Sean Payton coached Johnson in his final two seasons as Saints head coach, whereas the Seahawks hired former Saints OC Kubiak to be their play-caller. Johnson ultimately was given a three-year contract extension worth over $30 million, including $21.25 million fully guaranteed. Denver did land former New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars starter Evan Engram as a consolation.
Here’s what Field Gulls’ own Alexandre Castro wrote about Johnson in his free agency preview:
Juwan Johnson’s eight receptions of 20 or more yards rank seventh among tight ends. He’s a big target and a reliable receiver, especially in the red zone. Over the past four seasons, his 18 touchdowns rank eighth among tight ends and his 9.0-yard average ranks fifth, illustrating that he’s not just a check-down outlet but a true threat downfield.
The free agency class for TEs is pretty weak, and that should help Johnson get a better contract than he’s projected to get. He’s a solid TE2. On the other hand, the draft class is the best it’s been in a long time. Johnson has familiarity with Kubiak, and Seattle may or may not cut Noah Fant, which would leave the team with just AJ Barner as a TE with playing time.
Projection: 3 years/25M.
The fact that the Seahawks even looked at Juwan Johnson may hint at how the team views current starting tight end Noah Fant, who’s on the last year of his two-year, $21 million contract. Even though he avoided being a salary cap casualty I wouldn’t pencil Fant in as being a lock for the 2025 roster just yet.