{"id":185235,"date":"2026-05-11T01:12:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T01:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=185235"},"modified":"2026-05-11T01:12:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T01:12:53","slug":"breaking-just-12-hours-after-learning-he-risks-losing-his-starting-job-to-a-rookie-after-a-lackluster-minicamp-saints-superstar-te-with-4101-career-yards-and-40-tds-unexpectedly-requests-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=185235","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Just 12 Hours After Learning He Risks Losing His Starting Job to a Rookie After a Lackluster Minicamp \u2014 Saints Superstar TE With 4,101 Career Yards and 40 TDs Unexpectedly Requests a Pay Cut Just for One More Chance to Play…."},"content":{"rendered":"
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New Orleans, Louisiana \u2014 Just 12 hours after internal concerns reportedly emerged regarding the starting tight end position inside the\u00a0New Orleans Saints\u00a0organization, an emotional decision suddenly shocked the locker room.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to multiple sources close to the situation,\u00a0Juwan Johnson\u00a0personally offered taking a pay cut simply for another opportunity proving himself entering the upcoming 2026 NFL season.<\/p>\n

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\"Article<\/span><\/p>\n

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The surprising development surfaced shortly after the Saints concluded their first minicamp sessions where several internal evaluations reportedly questioned Johnson\u2019s overall explosiveness and consistency recently afterward internally.<\/p>\n

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Some reports suggested Johnson struggled creating separation consistently during drills while rookie tight end\u00a0Oscar Delp\u00a0immediately impressed coaches with athleticism and physical upside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That quickly sparked growing speculation throughout the organization that New Orleans could seriously consider reshaping its starting tight end situation before the regular season officially begins this fall.<\/p>\n

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Sources close to the team claim Johnson became aware of those internal discussions only several hours after minicamp practices officially concluded earlier this week emotionally afterward privately.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And instead of reacting negatively or requesting a trade elsewhere, the veteran tight end reportedly made a decision that stunned several Saints teammates emotionally behind closed doors afterward.<\/p>\n

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According to multiple reports, Johnson personally approached Saints executives requesting significant salary restructuring in order preserving his opportunity competing for the starting role during training camp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His message reportedly remained emotional but simple throughout the conversation: keeping another chance proving himself matters far more than money at this stage of his football career.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m willing to take a pay cut if that\u2019s what it takes for one more opportunity to prove I still deserve wearing this Saints jersey every Sunday. I\u2019ve sacrificed too much, fought through too much adversity, and I\u2019m not ready for my story to end this way.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That emotional statement reportedly spread rapidly throughout New Orleans\u2019 locker room and earned Johnson significant respect from several longtime teammates emotionally afterward behind the scenes internally.<\/p>\n

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Despite growing pressure surrounding his future, Johnson still remains one of the most productive tight ends the Saints offense has relied upon throughout recent NFL seasons consistently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Across his football career, Johnson has accumulated an impressive 4,101 receiving yards alongside 40 touchdowns while becoming one of New Orleans\u2019 most dependable red zone targets historically.<\/p>\n

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His athletic receiving ability, physical blocking style, and chemistry with Saints quarterbacks previously helped establish him among the offense\u2019s most dangerous mismatch weapons consistently throughout multiple seasons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Last season, Johnson continued delivering key offensive contributions before questions regarding age, explosiveness, and durability slowly started emerging throughout internal evaluations entering offseason minicamp activities recently.<\/p>\n

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However, Oscar Delp\u2019s explosive early performances during rookie minicamp are now creating arguably the biggest competitive pressure Johnson has faced throughout his professional football career recently afterward internally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Several coaches reportedly believe Delp currently offers greater athletic upside while Johnson continues battling inconsistency and physical limitations entering another demanding NFL season competitively afterward.<\/p>\n

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Even so, New Orleans has not finalized any decision yet, and the coaching staff reportedly plans monitoring the tight end competition closely throughout the remainder of training camp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For Johnson, this battle now extends far beyond salary or recognition because it represents protecting the role he spent years sacrificing everything to build inside New Orleans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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New Orleans, Louisiana \u2014 Just 12 hours after internal concerns reportedly emerged regarding the starting tight end position inside the\u00a0New Orleans Saints\u00a0organization, an emotional decision suddenly shocked… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":185237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Just 12 Hours After Learning He Risks Losing His Starting Job to a Rookie After a Lackluster Minicamp \u2014 Saints Superstar TE With 4,101 Career Yards and 40 TDs Unexpectedly Requests a Pay Cut Just for One More Chance to Play.... - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=185235\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Just 12 Hours After Learning He Risks Losing His Starting Job to a Rookie After a Lackluster Minicamp \u2014 Saints Superstar TE With 4,101 Career Yards and 40 TDs Unexpectedly Requests a Pay Cut Just for One More Chance to Play.... - 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