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Andre Johnson is heading to his third AFC South team in as many seasons. The veteran wideout is signing with the Tennessee Titans, per multiple reports.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that it’s a two-year deal and that the Titans will absorb some of the money the Colts owed him this season. Indianapolis owed him $2.5 million this year, though it’s unclear what the offset will do for that number.
The Titans need more production out of their wide receivers this season than they got last year, and they are trying everything they can to get Marcus Mariota more targets to work with. They hope Johnson, who worked out for them earlier this week, can be that guy despite the fact that he’s 35 years old and wasn’t productive last year with Indianapolis.
The Colts signed Andre Johnson last offseason, but it didn’t work out. Johnson played in all 16 games but caught just 41 passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns. He was largely invisible in the offense, and the Colts cut him earlier this offseason. Titans head coach Mike Mularkey apparantly thinks differently about Johnson’s time in Indy than pretty much everyone else, however. Here’s what he said yesterday on a radio appearance, according to The Tennessean’s Jason Wolf:
“Well I’m not going to say specifically him,” Mularkey said on 102.5-FM, before specifically talking about Johnson, “but when you’re looking at these guys, you’re looking at ‘what did you do lately?’ And last year, in Indy — he wasn’t a full-time starter — he had (41) catches, (24) of them were for 10 yards or more.
“That’s pretty significant. That’s pretty good numbers. And still productive. Still looks like he can play.
“But you look at what the player has done the prior year, and obviously he’s had a very successful 13 years in the league. He knows how to do something right. He knows how to get open, he knows how to catch it, still.”
The Titans will be Johnson’s third AFC South team, as in addition to spending 2015 with the Colts he spent the first ten years of his career with the Houston Texans. In his career, Johnson has caught 1,053 passes for 14,100 yards and 68 touchdowns, ranking in the top ten in NFL history in both receptions and receiving yards.