When the Chiefs cut Larry Johnson, we mentioned that a source had previously told us Patriots coach Bill Belichick wouldn’t want a guy like Johnson around.
Now that Johnson is available (if he clears waivers), the same source now tells us to keep an eye on the Pats.
Of course, the Patriots will only have a shot at Johnson if none of the lower-tier teams submit a waiver claim.
And the only way one of the lower-tier teams will have any chance at Johnson will be to submit a waiver claim.
If Johnson hits the open market, he’ll never choose to sign with a bad team. He wants to play and play well as he chases a contract on the open market in what likely will be an uncapped year.
The best recent example of this phenomenon comes from the team that cut Johnson. Last week, the Chargers released receiver Chris Chambers. And the Chiefs, who likely would have had no shot at signing him as a free agent, squatted on his contract via waivers.
With Chambers in the final year of his contract, he contributed two touchdowns in his first game, on a short week.
So if the Redskins or any other team on the wrong side of .500 wants Larry Johnson, the clock is ticking. Once 4:00 p.m. ET rolls around, Johnson will be aiming more for the penthouse -- and Bill Belichick’s desire to win a fourth Super Bowl title could be strong enough to persuade him to put Johnson on a one-strike arrangement like the one under which Randy Moss was operating in 2007.
The possibility that Johnson will land with the Patriots now makes us wonder whether another team might make a waiver claim for Johnson in the hopes of blocking his path to New England.