WASHINGTON (FNN Media) — The Washington Redskins had interest in Josh Johnson, but the San Francisco 49ers won out in the end.
Johnson signed a two-year deal with the 49ers on Thursday to reunite with his former college coach Jim Harbaugh.
The quarterback met with Redskins officials earlier in the week. It is unclear whether secondary coach Raheem Morris, who was Johnson’s head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was involved in the meeting.
“Josh is a promising young player that has experience in our offensive system,” 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke said in a statement released by the team. “He is a skilled athlete with good arm talent. Josh has shown promise in limited action, both as a back-up and starter at the NFL level. We are pleased to add him to our team.”
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Johnson was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He appeared in 26 career games with five starts, completing 96 of 177 attempts for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns.
Johnson will compete to be Alex Smith’s backup.
The 25-year-old grew up across the Bay in Oakland before playing collegiately at the University of San Diego under then head coach Harbaugh.
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