Juwan Johnson is returning to the New Orleans Saints on a three-year deal, and is earning a nice pay raise in the process.
According to a FOX Sports report, the Saints will pay him $30 million, making him the NFL’s 11th-highest paid tight end. According to an NFL Media report, the deal includes more than $21 million in guarantees. The last contract Johnson signed paid him $12 million over two years.
New Orleans initially signed Johnson as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon, and he spent his first season playing wide receiver. But the Saints transitioned him to tight end prior to the 2021 season, and since taking over as the regular starter in 2022, Johnson has averaged 43 catches for 475 yards and 5 touchdowns per season.
Last year, Johnson established career highs in receptions (50) and receiving yards (548) while appearing in all 17 games. Those figures ranked 19th and 15th among tight ends across the NFL.
New Orleans had some additional incentive to bring Johnson back: If he had not agreed to a new contract by the start of the new league year Wednesday, the team would have incurred a $6.5 million dead cap charge, as Johnson’s contract was set to void and the prorated bonus money from previous restructures would have accelerated onto the 2025 salary cap.