Sometime earlier this month — he doesn't remember exactly when — Juwan Johnson couldn't sleep.
It was around 11 p.m. or midnight, and the tight end had grown restless over his free agency. He wasn't sure whether to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints. The team had made a strong initial offer, but Johnson didn't know how exactly he'd fit into its new offense. He wanted to know the plan. He needed to know why the Saints wanted him back.
So he called Kellen Moore.
The first-year Saints coach answered the phone. And for the next 15 to 20 minutes, Moore laid out his vision for how he'd use the 28-year-old.
"I think just us having a candid conversation was the biggest thing," Johnson said.
The conversation led Johnson to ultimately sign a three-year, $30.75 million contract to remain with the Saints. But here's the thing about those talks: There wasn't one specific answer that convinced the tight end he needed to stay with the franchise, Johnson said.
Rather, Johnson was flattered that Moore took the time that late at night to be there for him.
"So I really had to just understand where we wanted to go because something in my heart was telling me, 'Man, I got to stay in New Orleans,''" Johnson said. "But if I stay in New Orleans, it got to make sense. I got to make a wise decision."
That decision didn't come easy. Johnson called his free agency "exhausting" and "taxing" as he was unsure whether to uproot his family and leave the franchise that took a chance on him as an undrafted free-agent wide receiver.
At first, Johnson said he grew frustrated in the months leading up to free agency that he had heard little from Saints about a new contract. Across the league, Johnson noticed teams re-signing their own left and right — only for New Orleans to keep quiet.
That changed, however, in the days before free agency opened. The Saints presented an offer that impressed Johnson, who said he felt respected since the team didn't try to low-ball him with the initial number.
Still, Johnson wanted to explore his options. And those options made the decision even harder. Old coaches jumped into the mix with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks both wanting to sign him.
In Denver, Johnson would have reunited with Sean Payton — the former Saints coach who once convinced him to switch to tight end. In Seattle, Johnson would have been paired with Klint Kubiak — last year's offensive coordinator in New Orleans who got a career year out of the veteran.
But during the process, Johnson thought back to his time in college when he transferred from Penn State to Oregon as a senior.
"I'm so grateful I went to Oregon, but there was something about me, it's just like, 'Man, I felt like I should stay,'" Johnson said. "And I said, 'When I get this opportunity again, I'm going to stay.'"
Johnson said he felt peace with his new contract, which makes him the 12th-highest-paid tight end in terms of annual average value. Now, he'll look to build upon the 50-catch, 548-yard season he put together in 2024.
Though the numbers were personal highs, Johnson indicated he wasn't satisfied with his performance. Not only did he again start the season slow — a throughline over his first five seasons — but his best outings also came when Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed were hurt.
"It makes me happy but also makes me upset," Johnson said. "Because I don't want to just be a guy that's used just when guys are down."
Johnson said he feels he's demonstrated the player he can be in practice, but that his goal is to put together a more consistent season from start to finish. He also said he doesn't want to be known as just a pass-catching tight end, telling reporters he wants to keep improving as a run blocker — an area he said he made strides in last year.
But Johnson made clear he's capable of more. At 28, he signed the third contract of his NFL career — and while many players don't get an opportunity for a fourth deal, Johnson said he still believes he has six or seven years left.
"Yeah, this is a three-year contract, but I want to be in New Orleans a lot longer than that," he said.