The New Orleans Saints gave Juwan Johnson a new contract this offseason, and that put the microscope directly on him moving forward. Not only is the Saints lead tight end, there is now a financial component that comes into play.
Receiving a new contract doesn't just result in more pressure from fans. It also comes with elevated expectations from the team as well. The old adage is teams pay you for what you will do moving forward. This means Johnson will be aiming to justify his new contract.
The tight end room moves with Juwan Johnson, good or bad. The worst case scenario is Johnson keeps the same level of inconsistent production that made many scratch their head when the Saints signed him to a new contract.
Consistency will be the key for Juwan Johnson in Kellen Moore's offense
Johnson set career-highs in multiple categories in 2024, but the one thing that was lacking was consistency in production in a weekly basis. The receiving corps was depleted. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed missed the majority of the season, and it still seemed like Johnson wasn’t a big part of the offense a regular basis.
It's unlikely the Saints go through the same injury issues , and they also acquired Brandin Cooks this offseason. Even with more talent, Johnson can't disappear from the offensive game plan.
Dallas Goedert had 49.6 yards per game for the Philadelphia Eagles under Kellen Moore. This was on an offense with A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. The Eagles also had the least passing attempts in the league in 2024.
Even with Cooks present, Johnson can get close to those averages if he remains a featured part of the game plan. Johnson has the talent, but it's about getting him involved frequently. If Johnson fails to achieve this consistency, it would bring his contract into question once again.
Johnson will likely be the fourth to fifth option, so this is a low-impact worst case scenario. The Saints have the players to overcome this, but it would still be difficult after giving Johnson a new contract.