Quarterbacks are unique in free agency.
They do as much homework on prospective teams as front offices do on them. So, as Russell Wilson rattled off nearly the Giants' entire roster in his introductory press conference, it shouldn't have been all that surprising he knew about a tight end taken in the fourth round who has 29 NFL catches to his name and was just about to become a teenager when the future Hall of Famer won the Super Bowl.
Theo Johnson has that effect on people.
"[I'm] excited about the young guys, guys like Theo and what he can do," Wilson said in late March.
Wilson, in turn, excites the young guys.
"From the very first interaction with him, you could tell the guy knows a lot of ball, and the biggest takeaway for me was just his passion," Johnson said when the player returned to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center for the offseason workout program. "He loves football and every aspect of the game, which is infectious and something that he's going to infect in our locker room, just his love and his passion for the game."
The New York Giants' 2025 offseason workout program is underway at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
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Monday wasn't his first experience with Wilson.
The quarterback had already gotten in some extra work with his tight ends and receivers while training in San Diego and Atlanta. Johnson was part of the latter session.
"The little bit that we've worked together, I think he's going to be not only great for our offense, but for our team," Johnson said. "Just the energy and the enthusiasm he brings every day with everything that he does and just the leadership he's going to bring and the experience, I think it's going to be super valuable for our offense. We've got a young offense, a young skill unit, so I think it's going to be super valuable for us. I'm super excited to see what we can do with him throwing us the balls this year."
Johnson was part of a promising 2024 draft class, one the Giants hope to replicate this week. He was the 107th overall pick and heating up when a foot injury ended his season at 13 weeks. Meanwhile, Malik Nabers, the sixth pick, went on to set the franchise's single-season receptions record as a rookie.
Highlights can easily reveal a young, dynamic duo. Film study, however, showed something deeper.
"I love Malik, just watching him and his personality on the field, his demeanor," Wilson said. "I watched one clip, I was watching a bunch of plays of him, and he caught this one catch against the Commanders on a cross on a third down, and he cut back inside, got another extra 20 yards. Got hit pretty good. He kind of laid the boom, but vice versa. He got up right away and just was celebrating, excited about the first down and move on to the next play. The competitor, warrior that he is. And there are a lot of guys like that. That same play I noticed that Theo was blocking down the field and making a huge block. Those things are what championship football looks like."
It's all part of a process, which nobody knows better than Wilson. And it begins now.
"Dabs (Brian Daboll) ran a great meeting today," Wilson said. "He introduced everybody, from the coaches to everybody else, from the new players as well. Obviously, with me being one of them. Just to be able to go up there and talk to the guys about kind of where I come from and just my story a little bit and just the focus of it all and what we want to accomplish individually, but also this year. I'm excited to be with these guys. I'm excited to have the opportunity to play and be a New York Giant. What an opportunity it is. We can make it really special."
Johnson, who is feeling "really good right now" and likes where he is in the rehab process, is ready for more in Year 2.
"It's really cool to know what to expect and kind of have my feet under me this year and not being a rookie and feeling like everything is kind of coming at me at a million miles an hour," Johnson said. "It's really great to start from the beginning of the offseason program as well. I'm excited to get a full offseason here. So, yeah, I'm really excited to be back and get back to work."
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