Josh Johnson (Qb)

Sean Mannion Auditions For Seahawks, Jets, Giants

July 29th, 2021 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

After spending the past two years as Kirk Cousins‘ backup with the Vikings, Sean Mannion has been in free agency for the past four-plus months. The veteran reserve may have a new gig soon.

Mannion worked out for both the Seahawks and Jets this week, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter links). The Jets have both Mannion and Josh Johnson at their facility Thursday. While in New York, Mannion also stopped through the Giants’ facility for a workout, Caplan tweets.

The Giants let Colt McCoy defect to the Cardinals and signed Mike Glennon. The latter has eight years’ experience but has not provided an especially steady hand as a backup, bouncing to four teams over the past four years.

Although the Jets signed No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson on Thursday afternoon, they have an apparent need for signal-caller depth. Neither of New York’s QB2 candidates — 2020 fourth-round pick James Morgan and former UDFA Mike White — has never taken a regular-season snap. While Mannion has spent his career behind largely durable quarterbacks — Jared Goff in Los Angeles, Cousins in Minnesota — he has six years’ experience and is one of the top QBs left on the market.

Mannion has experience with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron; the duo worked together with the Rams. Waldron served as the Rams’ passing-game coordinator in 2018, Mannion’s final year with the team. The Vikings moved on from Mannion this offseason and drafted Kellen Mond in the third round. The Seahawks re-signed Geno Smith, who has been Russell Wilson‘s backup since 2019, but may be looking for competition.

Johnson has famously been with 14 teams in his lengthy NFL career, which began in 2008. Now 35, Johnson has a key connection to the current Jets staff. He was most recently with the 49ers, who cut him in June. The Jets hired both 49ers DC Robert Saleh and ex-San Francisco passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur. Johnson’s historic journeyman run included a Jets stopover in 2015. The team cut him after barely a week.

49ers Cut Josh Johnson

June 1st, 2021 at 3:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have released quarterback Josh Johnson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). In a related move, the Niners have added wide receiver Andy Jones to their 90-man offseason roster.

Johnson, who just turned 35, hooked on with the 49ers last November. Previous to that, he was last seen with the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL. He could have been on an NFL roster sooner — the Lions offered him a contract, but the XFL stepped in and blocked it.

Over the years, Johnson has signed deals with 13 different teams. That includes multiple stints with the 49ers in 2012, 2014, and 2020. It remains to be seen whether Johnson will pursue another season in the league, but there’s always a market for experienced QBs like him.

Of course, Johnson’s odds of making the final cut weren’t all that great anyway. The 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo installed as their starter with first-round pick Trey Lance waiting in the wings. That leaves Nick Mullens and Josh Rosen to compete for one — or perhaps zero — QB spots on the 53-man roster.

49ers To Sign Josh Johnson

November 6th, 2020 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are set to sign quarterback Josh Johnson, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (on Twitter). Once he clears COVID-19 protocols, Johnson will be added to the club’s practice squad.

Johnson, 34, was last seen with the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL. Before the season even started, the veteran had an offer on the table from the Lions. However, the XFL stepped in and blocked him from that deal. Over the years, Johnson has signed deals with 13 different teams. That includes multiple stints with the 49ers in 2012 and 2014.

Now, he’ll backstop a QB room that has been without starter Jimmy Garoppolo for weeks. On that front, the Niners got some good news — doctors are not currently recommending surgery to fix his ankle injury and the hope is that he can return before the season is through. For the time being, he’ll remain on IR.

Nick Mullens served as the 49ers’ starter on Thursday against the Packers with C.J. Beathard as the QB2. After Mullens forced some bad throws, it’s possible that the depth chart could be reshuffled between now and their next game against the Saints.

XFL Commissioner On Manziel, Kaepernick

December 19th, 2019 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

The XFL is still weeks away from its relaunch, but Vince McMahon’s second try at professional football has already come under fire for its refusal to allow players to leave for the NFL. In an interview with Thomas Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times, commissioner Oliver Luck made it clear that the policy won’t change anytime soon.

“If there’s one thing we learned from watching the Alliance it was that quarterback play is critical,” Luck said. “In the game of football today — whether it’s pro, college or even high school arguably — your quarterback play is determinative. So we made an effort to sign guys, some of whom played in the AAF but the vast majority didn’t.”

The league’s policy already prevented Josh Johnson from joining the Lions back in November. Critics felt that the XFL should have allowed the veteran to go to Detroit, but Luck & Co. held him to his commitment with the Los Angeles Wildcats.

“We said, ‘No, we’re keeping him. He ours. He signed a contract. He’s committed to us,’” Luck said. “Once a player signs a contract — once he passes his physical and signs a contract — then he’s under contract with us. We won’t release that player to the NFL until after our season. We need certainty. We can’t just have guys peeling off.”

Luck also disclosed that the Steelers inquired on Landry Jones and Phillip Walker after Ben Roethlisberger‘s injury. The XFL, of course, turned down both requests.

While the XFL protects its own signal callers, they won’t go chasing the two biggest names on the open market. Luck sounded less than enthusiastic about the possibility of Johnny Manziel and Colin Kaepernick joining the fledgling league.

“Johnny has his own history, and we have coaches from the CFL who have seen him close up,” Luck said when asked about Johnny Football. “He was in the draft pool. Coaches and scouts looked at him and didn’t think he was going to help their team. I think the guys we have on our teams are the best 560 that aren’t playing in the National Football League.”

As for Kaepernick, Luck characterized his “salary demands” as being “way out of [the XFL’s] ballpark.” As a result, he was “never really a viable option,” for the league.

XFL Blocks Lions From Signing Josh Johnson

November 25th, 2019 at 12:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The XFL blocked the Lions from signing quarterback Josh Johnson, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Johnson, who was assigned to the Los Angeles Wildcats last week, cannot get out of his commitment without the permission of the fledgling league.

XFL execs, including owner Vince McMahon and CEO Oliver Luck, have spoken about the idea of partnering with the NFL in some capacity to serve as a breeding ground for talent. At the same time, the XFL is understandably protective of its top talents. Johnson, who has been signed by 13 NFL teams over the course of his career, offers the kind of name recognition that can’t be easily replaced.

This isn’t Johnson’s first rodeo in professional football outside of the NFL. He was also a part of the UFL and the short-lived AAF, so he’s encountered similar situations before.

Meanwhile, the Lions will continue to search for quarterback support in the wake of Matthew Stafford‘s injury. Stafford wants to keep playing, but the Lions are reportedly thinking about shutting him down for the year.

QBs Josh Johnson, Taylor Heinicke Join XFL

November 22nd, 2019 at 12:02pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Earlier this morning, the XFL announced a series of quarterback assignments. The league assigned Josh Johnson to the Los Angeles Wildcats, quarterback Taylor Heinicke to the St. Louis Blackhawks, and Chase Litton to the Seattle Dragons.

The move adds another bullet point to Johnson’s absurdly long transaction history in professional football. Since playing for Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego from 2004-2007, Johnson has been signed by 13 different NFL teams and had stints in two other upstart leagues (the UFL and AAF). While he is unlikely to ever be an NFL starter, his long-run of opportunities suggests he has the talent and mindset to be quite successful in a situation like the XFL.

Heinicke and Litton are both noticeably younger than Johnson, but have NFL resumes of their own. Litton has never appeared in an NFL game, but was signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Chiefs and signed to the Jaguars practice squad before he was released in October. Heinicke has bounced between four NFL organizations. He has appeared in seven games and started in Week 16 last season for the Panthers. Heinicke is a career 36 for 58 on passing attempts for 320 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Compton, Fales

August 20th, 2019 at 9:45pm CST by Rory Parks

When announcing the new extension for linebacker Jaylon Smith at a press conference today, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sent a clear message to a few other high-profile players who are eligible for extensions. Jones said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic, “[t]he team takes precedent at a point over the opinion or the demand of the individual. The team takes precedent. This was a team move we are talking about today. The team takes precedent. And I’ve got the backbone to keep it that way” (Twitter link).

Obviously, that statement suggests that Jones is going to hold firm on the offers that have been extended to Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper, and as we detailed earlier today, Smith’s extension looks relatively team-friendly. Jones did say that there is “enough pie left” to get deals done with all of them, though he did not have an update on negotiations with the trio.

Let’s check out more from the NFC:

Free agent linebacker Will Compton will work out for the Saints, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Compton, who played for the Redskins from 2013-17, was a full-time starter as recently as 2016. However, his 2017 campaign was marred by injury, and he played only 79 defensive snaps for the Titans last year in his first and only season in Tennessee. He would provide experienced LB depth in New Orleans, and he could also contribute on special teams.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press examines the Lions‘ backup QB situation, noting that presumptive QB2 Tom Savage missed his seventh straight practice on Tuesday (Savage is in the concussion protocol). That has meant more reps for David Fales and Josh Johnson, but Birkett says the Lions are unlikely to carry three QBs. So if Savage cannot be medically cleared by next Saturday, he could be cut. Fales looked sharp in the team’s last preseason game while Johnson struggled, so Fales may have a leg up if Savage can’t get healthy.
The 49ers fear that rookie wide receiver Shawn Poindexter suffered a torn ACL in Monday’s preseason win, as Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Poindexter, a UDFA from Arizona, appeared to be a prime practice squad candidate, and the club has already signed WR/KR Chris Thompson to take Poindexter’s place on the 90-man roster.

Lions Sign QB Josh Johnson

August 10th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by Ben Levine

The Lions worked out a pair of quarterbacks this morning, and they’ll be adding one to the roster. Detroit has signed veteran Josh Johnson, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

The Lions’ current backup Tom Savage left Thursday’s preseason game after his head hit the turf, necessitating this move. Savage has a history of concussion issues, so there’s a chance he’ll be sidelined for a while. While the Lions are rostering David Fales, the team wanted another healthy quarterback to play behind Matthew Stafford. We learned yesterday that the Lions were auditioning both Johnson and Landry Jones.

The 33-year-old Johnson has spent time with 12 different NFL teams during his career. He made an appearance late last season with the Redskins, appearing in four games with three starts. He completed 52 of his 91 pass attempts for 590 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Johnson recently turned down a contract from the Ravens as he apparently felt he wasn’t going to be anything more than a short-term camp arm. It sounds like the situation is different in Detroit, where Johnson could stick around for the regular season.

Lions To Workout QBs Josh Johnson, Landry Jones

August 9th, 2019 at 8:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Lions are looking for quarterback depth behind Matthew Stafford. The team is bringing in veterans Josh Johnson and Landry Jones for workouts, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

As Garafolo points out, current backup Tom Savage left yesterday’s preseason game after his head hit the turf, necessitating this move. Savage has a history of concussion issues, so it’s possible he’ll be sidelined for a while. Former Bears and Dolphins third-stringer David Fales is currently the only healthy quarterback on the roster behind Stafford.

Johnson is a legendary journeyman, already having spent time with 12 different NFL teams in his long and winding career. The 33-year-old turned into one of the best stories of the 2018 NFL season when he was signed off the street by the Redskins late in the season and suddenly thrust into the starting role. He played about as well as could’ve been expected, but has remained unsigned this offseason.

Johnson recently turned down a contract from the Ravens as he apparently felt he wasn’t going to be anything more than a short-term camp arm. Jones, a 2013 fourth-round pick of the Steelers, notably spent a few seasons as Ben Roethlisberger‘s backup. He was always somewhat competent when forced into action, but Pittsburgh eventually decided they wanted to upgrade, cutting him on the eve of the 2018 season. He briefly latched on with the Jaguars but spent most of the year out of the league. He spent a couple of months with the Raiders earlier this offseason before getting released.

Josh Johnson Turns Down Ravens

July 29th, 2019 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

It wasn’t meant to be. Quarterback Josh Johnson has turned down a contract offer from the Ravens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Johnson would have been a logical fit for the Ravens given his history with the club and the team’s need for another arm in camp. However, RGIII will likely return when the season begins, so Johnson didn’t feel it was the right opportunity. Instead, he’ll presumably wait for another camp injury and a better opportunity to make someone’s 53-man cut.

Johnson has toured much of the NFL over the course of his career, but went many years without actually taking a snap. At the age of 33, Johnson is probably tired of the add/drop game and is looking for something stable. This season will mark Johnson’s 12th in professional football.