Juwan Johnson confirms that Broncos “were trying to get” him aboard

The Broncos had multiple plans at tight end when the legal-tampering period opened last week.

While they were visiting with Evan Engram, the lines of communication were open with Saints tight end Juwan Johnson, as he confirmed Monday when he met media in New Orleans after re-signing with the Saints last week.

Johnson agreed to his deal one day before Engram chose the Broncos.

“Obviously, Sean [Payton] was trying to get me from the Broncos,” Johnson said during a 21-minute question-and-answer session with New Orleans-area media in the wake of signing a three-year contract to remain with the Saints, the only professional team he’s known since breaking into the league in 2020.

The Broncos’ interest was no surprise given Payton’s connections with the Saints and Johnson, and in the game of free agency, cultivating multiple options is part of the business.

Juwan Johnson converted from wide receiver to tight end over the course of his time with the Saints, and by last year posted numbers in receptions and yardage — 50 catches for 548 yards — that exceeded the production for the Broncos’ entire tight-end room combined.

That put him back on the radar of Payton, under whom Johnson played for two seasons with the Saints. Other teams, including the Seattle Seahawks, were in the mix, Johnson confirmed.

“It was very intriguing,” Johnson said. “But I felt like this was the place to be for me and the family.”

The deal Juwan Johnson signed with the Saints is lower than Engram’s on an average per-year basis; Johnson has a $10.25 million APY figure while Engram checks in at $11.5 million.

But Engram’s contract is shorter — two years to Johnson’s three — and his guarantee of $16.5 million is $4.75 million below the fully-guaranteed amount Johnson got to remain with New Orleans.