8:22pm: The Jets have jumped in to express their interest in Johnson, but the receiver has narrowed his choice to the Patriots or the Chargers, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Johnson will make his decision tomorrow morning, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
3:34pm: Johnson’s decision is expected to come down to New England and San Diego, with the 49ers unlikely to bring back the veteran receiver, according to Russini and Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).
2:39pm: Johnson left his visit with the Patriots today without signing, tweets Russini. That doesn’t necessarily mean the wideout won’t eventually agree to join the Pats, but he appears to be weighing all his options before making a decision. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports tweets that the Chargers are still in play as well.
1:16pm: Stevie Johnson is visiting the Patriots today, and it appears very possible that the veteran wideout won’t leave New England without a new deal in place. According to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 Washington (via Twitter), sources say Johnson is “very likely” to sign with the Pats, perhaps as soon as today.
The Patriots are familiar with Johnson, who spent the first six years of his career with the division-rival Bills. The 28-year-old was very productive in Buffalo from 2008 to 2013, recording three separate seasons of 70+ catches and 1,000+ yards. The Bills traded Johnson to San Francisco last offseason and he wasn’t nearly as successful as a 49er, totaling just 35 receptions in 13 games for the team.
If Johnson ends up making things official with the Pats, he’d join a receiving corps that includes Danny Amendola – who restructured his contract to remain in New England – as well as Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman, and Brandon Gibson. Throw in Rob Gronkowski and another former Bill, Scott Chandler, who reportedly agreed to terms with the Pats, and Tom Brady should have plenty of pass-catching targets at his disposal in 2015.
Johnson also visited the Chargers and has drawn interest from the Browns, among other potential suitors.