FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots acquired defensive lineman Johnathan Sullivan from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for wide receiver Bethel Johnson today.
Sullivan, 25, has played in 36 games with 17 starts over three NFL seasons, all with the Saints. The defensive lineman was originally selected by New Orleans with the sixth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. The former University of Georgia standout has recorded 102 career tackles, including 1.5 sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble. In 2005, Sullivan appeared in 15 games for the Saints and recorded a career-high 42 tackles, including a single-game career-high eight stops against Miami on Oct. 30, 2005. As a rookie in 2003, Sullivan started 13 of 14 games and recorded 38 tackles, including one sack, and was named to Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie Team. Sullivan was a teammate of Patriots All-Pro Richard Seymour at Georgia in 2000.
Johnson, 27, played in 39 games with seven starts for the Patriots after being drafted by New England in the second round (45th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. The wide receiver has recorded 30 career catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns and has retuned 102 kickoffs for 2,557 yards (25.1 avg) and two touchdowns.
