Stevie Johnson likely to sign with Pats [3/17 update: signs w/ San Diego]

[patsinthesnow]

@NBCdianna: It's looking good in New England. Sources say it is "very likely" WR Stevie Johnson signs with The Patriots. Deal could get done today.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I won't believe it until Erika Leigh tweets it

 

[Rob0729]

Torn on this. When motivated, he is a legitimate #1 WR. But he has shown a lot of lack of motivation the last few years and has been average at best and sometimes downright awful. Granted the QBs throwing him the ball have been awful.

Now if it is an incentive laden contract or an one year prove it deal, I can be on board on this. Still not expecting a whole lot, but I wouldn't be against it.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I won't believe it until Erika Leigh tweets it

Or Incarcerated Bob ...........

 

[Joey007]

One year deal. One year deal. Please.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Edelman
Lafell
Johnson
Amendola

Best WR group since 07 (depth wise)

 

[Rob0729]

I won't believe it until Erika Leigh tweets it

She is working on a story on how the Pats are trading Cleveland for Joe Haden. So don't hold your breath for confirmation.

 

[Sicilian]

Torn on this. When motivated, he is a legitimate #1 WR. But he has shown a lot of lack of motivation the last few years and has been average at best and sometimes downright awful. Granted the QBs throwing him the ball have been awful.

Now if it is an incentive laden contract or an one year prove it deal, I can be on board on this. Still not expecting a whole lot, but I wouldn't be against it.

I feel the same way. I see him pretty much as competition for the young receivers (Dobson, Tyms, etc) and hope his contract reflects that. Ultimately, I think I would prefer Dobson winning the role, even if it makes this signing look worse.

 

[Kdo5]

Don't know the reliability of the source but I'd be very pleased if we sign him. Put him in our offense and I think there is lots of potential wuth this fit.

 

[BradyManny]

One year deal. One year deal. Please.

Wouldn't be surprised if its a multi-year deal that really is a one year deal. Pats have gotten good at signing those.

Like with most signings especially at this stage in the offseason, I would bet the numbers will be higher than what we want, but appropriate upon further reflection.

 

[Joey007]

Edelman
Lafell
Johnson
Amendola

Best WR group since 07 (depth wise)

Add Dobson and Gibson on to that and yeah I'd say so.

 

[RobAllan]

This, to me, is the kind of signing that makes an offseason super interesting. Here's a dude that has said some amazingly harsh stuff about both the Pats and Boston. (Think I remember a quip of him saying he hoped it got bombed or some such nonsense. Was a couple years ago so don't remember the exact remark.) He's also got legitimate #1 WR skills. He may or may not be motivated, but it's so hard to tell because he's played almost exclusively with QBs that are terrible. Smart WRs do best in our system and from his comments over the years, I have no idea if he is or not. Players tend to behave badly in bad organizations and there have been legit problems with the organizations he's played for.

I'd be excited for this signing. I think he might turn out to be great for the team, but if not, there's bound to be some entertainment value in it.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Kelly Naqi is reporting that during Johnson's visit, a member of the Patriots front office approached him to discuss a potential contract. Naqi wants to be clear that the member of the FO may or may not have been involved in allegedly deflating footballs, a serious NFL violation that could result in major fines or loss of draft picks. She then links to an addition 10 articles on ESPN that all claim the Patriots are guilty.

 

[PatsFan2]

Torn on this. When motivated, he is a legitimate #1 WR. But he has shown a lot of lack of motivation the last few years and has been average at best and sometimes downright awful. Granted the QBs throwing him the ball have been awful.

Now if it is an incentive laden contract or an one year prove it deal, I can be on board on this. Still not expecting a whole lot, but I wouldn't be against it.

Best outside WR Brady would have had since Moss...I feel Bad for Dobson and even Amendola, Johnson easily vaults ahead of them. Three WR sets with LaFell - Edelman - Johnson with Gronk at TE would be unstopable even if the Defense has Two Revis!

 

[Rob0729]

One thing that is certain. The Pats are going large with their receiving corp. This is the biggest receiving corp they have had under Belichick. They rarely have one receiver over 6 feet. Now they have three (Johnson, LaFell, Gibson). Their to two TEs are over 6'6" (with a 6'4" Tim Wright likely as the #3 TE).

I know someone else in the media pointed this out, but perhaps Belichick is ahead of the curve when it comes to the fact that defenses seem to be getting smaller and faster.

 

[BelichickFan]

Don't know the reliability of the source

No clue if this happens, but @NBCdianna has been a very reliable source for breaking news in the past.

 

[Deus Irae]

I've got mixed emotions on this one, because I'd like the Patriots to draft a top quality WR, and this would likely put the kibosh on that. On the other hand, it would be the first time the Patriots had a real chance to be legitimately 4-5 deep at WR since 2007.

 

[Sicilian]

Best outside WR Brady would have had since Moss...I feel Bad for Dobson and even Amendola, Johnson easily vaults ahead of them, Three WR sets with LaFell - Edelman - Johnson with Gronk at TE would be unstopable even if the Defense has Two Revis!

I will never consider a WR from outside the organization a lock to overtake anyone who already has Brady's timing and trust. Seen that too many times.

 

[Ivan]

This is so hard to judge without seeing how he does with Brady. Some receivers get it almost immediately and the ones that don't rarely turn out well for them regardless of talent. If b they sign him we cans only hope for the best, if he has the footballs IQ he could be a stall but the likelihood of him busting in NE is pretty high.

Bottom line for me is that I would rather have Shorts but would settle for Johnson and talk myself into how great he will be.

 

[BradyManny]

I know someone else in the media pointed this out, but perhaps Belichick is ahead of the curve when it comes to the fact that defenses seem to be getting smaller and faster.

Bill sets the trends, then while the rest of the league is busy adapting to them, he sets a new one.