Andre Johnson’s 2-Year, $4M Deal With Titans Really Just A 1-Year Deal Worth Veteran Minimum

Terry McCormick reports that the Titans signed WR Andre Johnson to a two-year contract that gives them an out after the 2017.

Johnson will receive a base salary of $985,000 for the 2015 season and another $2 million in 2017. The agreement includes a $500,000 roster bonus that’s due on the third day of the 2017 league year to go along with per-game active roster bonuses of up $250,000.

Joel Corry points out that there’s no way Johnson is going to make the $2.75 million he’s owed in 2017. Corry says that the Titans designed this to be a fake year to hide that he got a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum salary.

It’s worth mentioning that Johnson was still owed $2.5 million from the Colts for the 2016 season, but the deal includes offset language, so the Titans picked up a portion of this figure.

The Titans brought Johnson in for a visit a few days ago before signing him to this contract. Tennessee becomes the third AFC South team Johnson has played for his in his career.

Johnson joins a young receiving corps in Tennessee and should be a great veteran presence for them this year.

Johnson, 35, if a former first-round pick of the Texans back 2003. After 12 years with the Texans, Johnson signed a three-year, $21 million contract that included $10 million guaranteed with the Colts last March.

However, he was unfortunately cut loose in a move that freed up $5 million in available cap space for the Colts.

In 2015, Johnson appeared in all 16 games and recorded 41 receptions for 503 yards receiving and four touchdowns for the Colts. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 60 receiver out of 121 qualifying players.