Jan Johnson signs with Tennessee
Jan Johnson didn’t play football in the fall for the first time since he was very young, and it was not much fun.
The former Gov. Mifflin star missed the camaraderie of being on a team. He missed the game. He watched college and pro football on television, but it only made the ex-Penn State linebacker yearn to play more.
“It stinks not being able to play or have an opportunity to play,” Johnson said. “I’ve been working out and making sure I stay in shape so if the opportunity came, I’d be able to look good on the field.”
That opportunity came Friday when Johnson signed a futures contract with the Tennessee Titans after a 25-minute workout.
It’s the same as an activeroster contract, but it doesn’t take effect until the next NFL season begins in March. It means he’ll be competing for a job when the Titans begin Organized Team Activities in the spring.
“I was just really happy and excited that I get another opportunity,” he said. “I had one in Houston and didn’t really get a chance to be picked up even by anybody. I’m excited that I at least can get my foot in the door here.”
Johnson, who played middle linebacker at Penn State, signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent in April before they released him during training camp. He later had tryouts with New Orleans and Tampa Bay that didn’t materialize into a contract.
“I just kept working out,” he said. “This season was tough because of COVID. There was no preseason and no preseason film, so it was really tough for rookies who didn’t make it on a team. A lot of the people who were getting picked up were people who already had experience in the league.
“I was really just hoping that someone would take a chance and give me an opportunity.
My agent (Ed Wasielewski) said this might happen, so I was looking forward to the end of the year when someone might sign me and it happened.”
The 6-2, 236-pound Johnson went to Penn State as a preferred walk-on and eventually became a two-year starter and team captain. He made 64 tackles as a senior in 2019, including 4½ for losses, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception.