Former Saints DB signs with Panthers, says 'I got smoke' for the front office

It’s safe to say former New Orleans Saints defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. is eager for Week 1. Johnson aired his grievances with the Saints front office after signing with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, saying that he’s ready to prove them wrong for not re-signing him.

This comes after Johnson completed a one-year stint with the Saints in 2023 in which a knee injury limited him to playing 12 of 17 games. He wound up not re-signing with the Saints this offseason, instead opting to return to his former team, the Houston Texans. But Houston opted to release him before the roster cut-down deadline. This led to Johnson signing with the Panthers Wednesday, the Saints’ rival and Week 1 opponent.

Johnson and the Saints seemed to have a mutual interest in him returning at one point, based on his tweet before signing with the Texans stating;

Johnson will now be trying to catch on with the Panthers’ roster, and if he ends up sticking in the lineup come Week 1, may have his chance to play the Saints in New Orleans and prove they should have signed him when they had the chance.