Colts Sign Andre Johnson

The pursuit is over, as the Colts have officially landed the wide receiver they were targeting.  The team flew former Texans wideout Andre Johnson in to Indianapolis on Tuesday night on Jim Irsay's private play and began making their recruiting pitch to their top receiver target.  And Johnson has agreed to sign with the Colts, joining a prolific offense led by quarterback Andrew Luck.

In 12 seasons with the Texans, Johnson played in 169 games and caught 1,012 passes (9th-most all-time) for 13,597 yards (12th-most all-time) and 64 touchdowns while averaging 13.4 yards per reception.  He is a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-team All-Pro, and has led the NFL in receiving yards twice.  He's got a resume similar to that of Reggie Wayne and will be an interesting discussion for consideration in the Hall of Fame once his career is over, but before that the longtime Texan is going to be playing for the division-rival Colts.

Johnson is exactly what the Colts needed at wide receiver, and that's why they were pursuing him so much.  Some might point to the fact that he will turn 34-years old before the 2015 season starts, but what the Colts needed was a veteran possession wide receiver, and that's what Johnson is.  They have T.Y. Hilton firmly entrenched as their number one wideout, and he's young and very talented.  They also have the young and talented Donte Moncrief and Duron Carter as well, but they don't have a veteran after parting ways with Reggie Wayne.  Hilton is the veteran out of the  group, and while he's a great guy and great player, they needed someone else to come in and provide that veteran influence, and Johnson is definitely that guy.  Plus, he can still be a solid number two receiver for the Colts who can take some of the pressure off of Hilton.

This is a move that the Colts had to make, one they really wanted to make, and one that they got done.  In the end, Andre Johnson is now a Colt, and that's a good thing.