Andre Johnson officially signs with Indianapolis Colts
By Evan Massey
The Indianapolis Colts have officially signed free agent wide receiver Andre Johnson in yet another splash for them this offseason.
Andre Johnson has been in Indianapolis meeting with the Colts since yesterday evening, and it was very apparent that the two sides would be able to get a deal done. There were quite a few other teams interested in signing Johnson, but he is looking for a Super Bowl and has agreed to a three-year deal with the Colts.
Andre Johnson is now a Colt.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2015
And @JosinaAnderson reports the Colts are giving Andre Johnson a 3-year, $21 million deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2015
Needless to say, this is a big deal for the Colts after announcing last week that they wouldn’t be re-signing former star Reggie Wayne. They needed to replace him somehow with a veteran leader, and that is exactly what they are getting with this deal for Johnson. He was offered a reduced role this offseason by the Houston Texans, and wanted out because he felt disrespected by head coach Bill O’Brien.
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That disrespect could come back to haunt the Texans over the next six meetings between the Colts and Texans. Johnson is still a very capable wide receiver, and put up very solid numbers last season.
During the 2014 season with Houston, Johnson ended up catching 85 passes for 936 yards and three touchdowns.
Those numbers show just how valuable he is still capable of being, even without a legitimate starting NFL quarterback throwing him the football. Imagine how he will fare with growing star Andrew Luck throwing the ball in his direction. Johnson will take over the number two wide receiver role alongside of T.Y. Hilton, although they will likely see very similar targets from Luck.
At 33 years old, a three-year deal might be a little bit long. They needed to give a little bit in order to beat out the competition, and that is exactly what they did with the three years.
Never underestimate how much players want to play with Andrew Luck. Got them Duron Carter, Frank Gore and Andre Johnson this year.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 11, 2015
Matt Miller is 100 percent correct in his analysis of Luck’s value, and the Colts were able to give both Johnson and Frank Gore much better pitches than any other team. Luck already led the Colts to being the number one passing offense in the NFL last season, and Johnson will help him do that for the second consecutive season. Gore, on the other hand, will take some pressure off of Luck with his ability to pick up consistent yardage on the ground.
All of that being said, this is a big step for the Colts as they look to make the Super Bowl in 2015. They came up just short of that goal in 2014 against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, but Johnson will be a big upgrade for them this season.
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