Panthers release Keyshawn Johnson

I remember when Keyshawn was saying this and it seems his words came back to bite him in the backside. This was a surprising move considering they just paid Keyshawn a roster bonus in April 1 which was about $3 million which they could've saved to sign someone else. Oh well, I guess Key can call that his departing gift.

posted by BornIcon at 07:16 AM - reply - flag:

He'll be signed by someone. The guy's still a productive receiver. I can't help wondering how he'd look in Indy as a third option playing off Harrison and Wayne (and no, I didn't study the cap situation in Indy before making this statement, I'm just wondering). That would be devastating. He's strong, a good blocker, and a great red zone option. If he wants to play/sign, he will.

posted by dyams at 07:38 AM - reply - flag:

I totally understand where you're coming from with that statement, dyams. I too was wondering if Keyshawn were to sign with the Patriots. I haven't looked at their cap situation either but it's just a thought considering that they just traded for Randy Moss. Just imagine, Randy Moss and Donte' Stallworth as the 1-2 recievers and Mr. Possession, Keyshawn Johnson in the slot. Now that would be devastating.

posted by BornIcon at 07:48 AM - reply - flag:

The San Diego Chargers would be the perfect fit for Keyshawn, with Key finally giving Rivers a go to receiver.

posted by beanoboy7 at 08:21 AM - reply - flag:

Question: Who is willing to pay what for Key, and if so, will Key be willing to accept it? I am more interested to see what he would get paid. I'm not sure that if someone offers him the minimum he will take it. I heard John Clayton from ESPN say this may be the end of the line for Key.

posted by sublime4390116 at 08:37 AM - reply - flag:

We need Keyshawn in Denver, he'd fit perfectly with Javon Walker and Marshall - may even beat Marshall for the #2 slot.

posted by BroncoClock at 08:43 AM - reply - flag:

I believe Mr. Favre might like to throw to him. And GB would be a good place for him, relatively isolated from the national scene on a small market team that's going nowhere. And all those Northwestern fans, whose hearts Johnson singlehandedly broke in the Rose Bowl, can ride up from Evanston to give him hell. A fitting career ender for KJ after his Tampa tantrums and what he did to Chrebet in the nation's media capital. The Chrebet family must be loving it seeing Johnson now referred to as a possession receiver. Even if he finds a cure for cancer, Keyshawn will never get from his amount of talent what Chrebet got out of his.

posted by beaverboard at 08:49 AM - reply - flag:

I heard John Clayton from ESPN say this may be the end of the line for Key. I saw that too but that's only if Keyshawn doesn't take the veteran's minimum which is around $1 million. To have a possession reciever like Keyshawn, who's big & strong would help just about any team looking for a veteran that'll provide a leadership role towards the younger class. He doesn't have the speed that a lot of teams are looking for in a reciever but he can still move the chains and he still has the hands of a reciever that caught well over 10, 000 yards in his 11 year career. If not, he did a very good job covering the NFL draft over the weekend, maybe ESPN has an opening. Keyshawn will never get from his amount of talent what Chrebet got out of his. I loved Wayne Chrebet while he played for the Jets because of his determination and desire to play the game but he is no way near the type of player Keyshawn was and still is. Unfortunately, injuries (concussions) took their toll on Chrebet but that should not take away from what he was able to accomplish. Still though, Keyshawn was by far the better reciever if you compared their careers.

posted by BornIcon at 08:49 AM - reply - flag:

If he wants to get to 1,000 catches, he obviously has to play. I just don't think Keyshawn is the kind of guy who wants to go out with a team cutting him.

posted by dyams at 08:56 AM - reply - flag:

Great use of the quote, BornIcon. If the Panthers paid Johnson $3 million a month ago, that's really bad fiscal management on the part of the GM. That will probably come back to bite him in the ass. Here in Jacksonville, the team had to pay dearly for inept capology by a now-former exec. It took years to recover from the mismanagement.

posted by rcade at 09:04 AM - reply - flag:

hey keyshawn just shut up and come to new england if you want to win a superbowl

posted by coachhannon at 09:07 AM - reply - flag:

Mismanagement is putting it lightly, rcade. The Panther's organization shot themselves in the foot on this one. Paying someone a roster bonus of $3 million to then turn around and cut them roughly a month later just seems like someone who doesn't know what their job description consists of or they feel as if they have money to burn, who knows? Whatever the case is, all the Panthers have to say about this is that "they wanted to go younger." By all means, I can respect that decision but.... shouldn't that decision been made before paying the roster bonus?

posted by BornIcon at 09:22 AM - reply - flag:

Yeah, it seems like the kind of thing you circle on a calendar: "Review player's value to team before we pay off-season bonus."

posted by yerfatma at 09:32 AM - reply - flag:

We need Keyshawn in Denver, he'd fit perfectly with Javon Walker and Marshall - may even beat Marshall for the #2 slot. Yea he would be a nice addition to Denver. He would give Cutler some more threats down the field. After letting go of Wilson they should have some cap room to spare.

posted by TelamarketersBeware at 09:50 AM - reply - flag:

Is the $3 million poor management or an insurance policy? Given the timing of the release, it sounds to me like Carolina wanted to be sure they came away from the draft with a reliever who, in Key's own words, is the same type of receiver, or at least one who can fill Key's role before they made the decision to cut him. Isn't it possible that the trigger for the bonus just came at a bad time relative to the draft, and they had to pay it as insurance against a failure to execute their draft strategy? Or, working the other way, isn't it possible that they were surprised by how good their draft was, and in the wake of it they found Keyshawn unexpectedly expendable? Like yerfatma insinuated, I'm sure some consideration of Keyshawn's value was given at the time they were writing that big check.

posted by The Crafty Sousepaw at 09:56 AM - reply - flag:

Yeah, it seems like the kind of thing you circle on a calendar: "Review player's value to team before we pay off-season bonus." If your a GM of a professional sports team, you best believe it better be circled on more than just one calender. Just like free agency, the trading deadline, expiring contracts, so on & so forth. You must know your job and not spend money your not getting any value from. Isn't it possible that the trigger for the bonus just came at a bad time Bad time for the Panthers but even though he doesn't have a team to play for at the moment, it's a perfect time for Keyshawn since he came away $3 million dollars richer. If Keyshawn wants to win another ring, he needs to follow the same route that Randy Moss did (did I just say that?) and not play for the money. Like the great Herman Edwards once said, "You play to win the game."

posted by BornIcon at 10:13 AM - reply - flag:

I guess it's good for the Panthers that Steve Smith is so dominating. With either Keary Colbert or Drew Carter opposite him, he's going to have to be even better! Delhomme must be pretty thrilled.

posted by dyams at 10:17 AM - reply - flag:

I'll take my turn now for the "I hope Keyshawn goes to my team" line. The Seahawks just traded away Darrell Jackson (to a division rival, no less - dumb move in my opinion). Even with Jackson, Seattle didn't have a big receiver like Keyshawn. I think they could be ok with Branch and Burleson, but I'm sure Hasselbeck wouldn't mind a bigger target to throw to.

posted by chamo at 10:25 AM - reply - flag:

I'll toss Tennessee in as well as a possible home for Keyshawn. I know part of why the veteran WRs left in the offseason was not wanting to spend the money and that might be a prohibitive factor here, but the Titans while picking up 3 receivers in the draft did not address the issue of a lack of a #1 guy. They were also way under the cap going into this offseason, so they might bite. I'll agree with most everyone else here, though. He's definitely playing somewhere next season, and I do get the impression that he's mellowed a bit and the character concerns of his youth are not as big of a distraction now.

posted by bender at 10:29 AM - reply - flag:

According to CBS Sports: "In fact he received no roster bonus at all. What Johnson received on April 1 was $2 million in deferred money that was left from a $5 million signing bonus last year...there would have been a $1 million bonus had he repoted to training camp." I think they did have their date circled and their foot is injury free.

posted by gfinsf at 11:11 AM - reply - flag:

Based on this thread, it looks like the market for 34-year old wide receivers that have attitude problems and oh-by-the-way can't break a tackle is booming!

posted by bperk at 11:17 AM - reply - flag:

I think they did have their date circled and their foot is injury free. Good work gathering that info, gfinsf. If that's so, the Panther's apparently knew exactly what they were doing. Based on this thread, it looks like the market for 34-year old wide receivers that have attitude problems....is booming I haven't heard anything concerning Keyshawn's attitude since he played for the Bucs so I'm not sure where that came from. Granted, he did have a huge attitude when he came out of college and played for the Jets but like bender pointed out, "I do get the impression that he's mellowed a bit and the character concerns of his youth are not as big of a distraction now." I do however agree with the 'can't break a tackle' part though. He's just never been a speedy reciever but very productive thru-out his career.

posted by BornIcon at 11:45 AM - reply - flag:

it looks like the market for 34-year old wide receivers that have attitude problems and oh-by-the-way can't break a tackle is booming! I'd say the market is better than ever. Just look at some of the crap wide receivers dotting NFL rosters currently. So many people and teams keep seeming to wait for "breakout seasons" from some of these pretenders, it's ridiculous. Ashlie Lelie, Brandon Lloyd, James Thrash, Brian Finneran, Roddy White, David Givens, Ike Hilliard, Rod Gardner....the list could go on and on. Keyshawn can practically name his team. As for his attitude, at this point in his career I think it almost pales in comparison to some of today's players.

posted by dyams at 11:49 AM - reply - flag:

So aging, underperforming post-hype receivers are the left-handed relief pitchers of football?

posted by The Crafty Sousepaw at 11:55 AM - reply - flag:

He was fined late last year for a throwing a helmut in a fit of temper. Maybe that is more mellow than he used to be, but still more attitude than he is worth.

posted by bperk at 12:00 PM - reply - flag:

211 receptions; 2,635 yards; 16 TDs the past three years ain't too bad.

posted by dyams at 12:19 PM - reply - flag:

I know we sure could use him here in cleveland. I figured I'd throw that in for good measure. Keyshawn is a good, sure handed possession receiver with some size too. He does have some attitude at times now days, but nothing compared to early in his career. Some team will sign him, if he wants to play for them. Now he has the control over where he wants to play or not, and that should make a big difference in his attitude, and production also.

posted by jojomfd1 at 12:20 PM - reply - flag:

He begged to go to Tampa. They signed him and he immediately said he wouldn't be going to any of the voluntary mini-camps. He never fit in on that team, even though he wanted to go there so much. He loved Parcells - only wanted to play for him. That didn't stop him from yelling at Bledsoe and bashing Terry Glenn. Don't even get me started on all the bullshit he says after he leaves scorched earth behind (including calling Ronde Barber an Uncle Tom). He is a pretty good receiver, but no one you want tutoring your young wide receivers. He'll end up somewhere, catch a few balls, complain about not getting enough TDs, never break a tackle, and hold on until he reaches his personal statistical goals.

posted by bperk at 12:33 PM - reply - flag:

So I take it that you're no Keyshawn fan, bperk. He loved Parcells - only wanted to play for him. That didn't stop him from yelling at Bledsoe.... Being a Cowboys fan, I know this all too well but if Drew Bledsoe was my QB, I'll be yelling at his stationary ass too. He gets a pass on that one.

posted by BornIcon at 01:10 PM - reply - flag:

Hate to say it but.....send him to Philly.

posted by GoBirds at 01:19 PM - reply - flag:

Don't send him to San Fran. We're just coming out of a our slump after "mr. wonderful" left because there was no "teamwork" and his QB was "gay". Then our QB went to Cleveland! Alex is doing fine and we're just starting to see some good things happen. The greatest thing that could happen is to get Debartolos and Yorks out of the front office. Players had sports drink " restrictions" and they were locked up under the wonderful DeBartolos?!!? Anyway don't send him!

posted by bavarianmotorworker at 02:55 PM - reply - flag:

Don't send him to San Fran Didn't San Fran draft Jim Drunkenmiller and Elvis Grbac? Just a question.

posted by BornIcon at 03:13 PM - reply - flag:

I too was wondering if Keyshawn were to sign with the Patriots. I haven't looked at their cap situation either... The story is that Tom Brady voluntarily renegotiated his contract in order to make room under the cap for Randy Moss. I saw no details on how much or how long. The other reason Keyshawn won't play for NE is that there is only one football on the field during an offensive play.

posted by Howard_T at 05:37 PM - reply - flag:

Yes, both of them. Elvis' years were short and tumultuous. He left as his son was diagnosed with either leukemia or cancer. Drunkenmiller too. Didn't do a whole lot. With Alex Smith though, we almost made playoffs this year. We beat the divison leading Seahawks both times, the second in a dramatic 2nd half comeback. I don't think they'll be a NE or San Diego, but I'm looking for a 10-6 or 9-7 season from them, as they showed signs of greatness last year, they just didn't have it to put out every game.

posted by bavarianmotorworker at 06:19 PM - reply - flag:

No Keyshawn in Cleveland. We have Jurevicius. Keyshawn cried in Tampa when Jurevicius got more balls. Keyshawn cried in New York when Cherbet got more balls, he's a big ass baby.

posted by fourthreeforty at 07:14 PM - reply - flag:

Philly has already been through T.O. We'll take the pass on K.J.

posted by TAZ29 at 07:45 PM - reply - flag:

According to Keyshawn's agent, he will be playing somewhere next year. No retirement yet.

posted by brainofdtrain at 12:32 AM - reply - flag:

Send him to Oakland. Keyshawn Johnson - Joey Porter - Mike Williams. It's a dream team! I'd laugh harder at that, but I'm a Dolphins fan.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:19 AM - reply - flag:

I wouldn't be happy if my team chose Ginn with the 9th pick either.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:21 AM - reply - flag:

Especially if they just traded away the same type of player for a second round pick (though I realize they didn't exactly have Welker anymore, just the right to offer him a new contract).

posted by yerfatma at 05:45 AM - reply - flag:

We'll take the pass on K.J. No Keyshawn in Cleveland. We have Jurevicius. I love how NFL GMs pop in now and again to drop bombshells like this on us. I hope your team goes and picks him up, just to jam you up. I wouldn't be happy if my team chose Ginn with the 9th pick either. Yeah, but you've got experience with this sort of thing. We Phins phans are new to the whole "star wide receiver as draft bust" process.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:03 AM - reply - flag:

No Keyshawn in Cleveland. We have Jurevicius. Wow. It sounds like Cleveland is all set on offense. Jurevicius and his 273 receptions over his nine NFL seasons, including a whopping three TDs last year, shows they need no upgrade in the receiver position. It cracks me up how a game such as NFL football, filled with big, strong, tough guys, coaches, whatever, can get so petrified of a receiver. "Oh no, he might throw a helmet or say he wants the ball!" I guess teams would rather deal with law-breakers, guys with ammo-dumps in their homes, or stumbling/puking/driving drunks than a guy who actually speaks or wants passes. Like I said earlier, hopefully all your teams are actively bidding on Ashlie Lelie. He's a wuss, never opens his mouth, and never catches passes, either. He's practically ensured of a long career in the mediocre NFL.

posted by dyams at 07:21 AM - reply - flag:

To bad the steelers would never pick him up. I am sure his name is on a Rooney "list of people to never sign."

posted by Debo270 at 07:34 AM - reply - flag:

I just don't see why a team wouldn't want to pick up a guy that has well over 10,000 yards on his resume' when even he knows that his best years are behind him. Saying that, he can still perform at a very high level with his first and only season in a Panther's uniform last year, he was still able to produce to the amount of 70 catches for 815 yards and 4 TD's. Granted, those may not be the same numbers he had early in his career but for a guy in his mid-30's playing in the NFL, that's not bad at all. I'll like to see him in a Cowboys uniform once more but we all know that with Keyshawn and T.O. in the same locker room, that's like putting two pitbulls nose to nose and hoping that they play nice.

posted by BornIcon at 08:51 AM - reply - flag:

I'm amazed at Keyshawn getting dumped too. He was pretty quiet in Dallas, most of the time, and is a solid possession receiver. Guys like that are valuable. When Jacksonville let Keenan McCardell go, the passing game hit the skids and hasn't recovered. I'd like to see him end up here.

posted by rcade at 09:25 AM - reply - flag:

rcade, You are not happy with all of you 7 foot tall receivers?? I think they looked good last year. Just need a healthy running back.

posted by Debo270 at 09:28 AM - reply - flag:

7 foot tall receivers?? The only guy over 6'5" is Matt Jones (6'6"). Then you have Ernest Wilford at 6'4" and Charles Sharon (6') so the possibilty of Keyshawn heading to Jacksonville isn't that far-fetched. I just don't see the Jags being a contender in the 2007-2008 campaign so I don't see a reason why Keyshawn would head over to Florida. You never know though.

posted by BornIcon at 09:51 AM - reply - flag:

I think(and if i am wrong i apologize now before someone puts up a list of tallest corps in the league and tells me i am am ass) they have the highest height average for a receiving corp in the league. I know they are not 7 foot. That was something called exaggeration I just remember them making the steeler secondary look like smurfs last year.

posted by Debo270 at 10:21 AM - reply - flag:

As I recall, Smurfs are blue and like 6" tall. There's no way they looked like Smurfs.

posted by yerfatma at 10:46 AM - reply - flag:

I apologize, i was having to much fun

posted by Debo270 at 10:56 AM - reply - flag:

Nah, with all the technology and PED's going around, the average Smurf these days are in the vicinity of 6'4"-6'5" and roughly 275lbs.

posted by BornIcon at 11:02 AM - reply - flag:

You are not happy with all of you 7 foot tall receivers? Ernest Wilford's good, but Matt Jones is not living up to his early hype. He disappears from too many games. I think the biggest reason that Jag QBs aren't cutting it is because of who they're throwing to. Being tall is good, but catching passes is better.

posted by rcade at 11:56 AM - reply - flag:

We have Jurevicius In case you missed it last year, Joe was hurt a couple of times, and didn't do much else the rest of the time.

posted by jojomfd1 at 04:41 PM - reply - flag:

Being tall is good, but catching passes is better. Great line. Now back to Keyshawn, what makes sense is him going to the Raiders. This was brought up to me yesterday and it seemed like a good idea and a perfect combo. Bring in Keyshawn to help develop 2005 1st round pick and former Detroit Lions WR Mike Williams and Louisiana Tech WR Jonathan Holland. He can also be that big, veteran WR that rookie QB JaMarcus Russell will so desperately need in his first year in Raider-nation.

posted by BornIcon at 05:52 AM - reply - flag:

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

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