It’s hard to imagine the Houston Texans without receiver Andre Johnson, mostly because he has been on the team since he was drafted in 2003. But that’s about to change, since the future Hall of Famer is looking for way out, even with his huge contract.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Johnson’s agent, Kennard McGuire, already has permission from the team to look into a trade. If they can’t work one out, he could be put on waivers, which would make him an unrestricted free agent that any team could pick up.
“It’s business. I understand that side of it. I’m not angry about it. I knew at some point in time this day would come,” Johnson told the Chronicle. “If we were living in a perfect world, you know I’d want to finish my career here, but, unfortunately, that’s not what’s going to happen. You just have to move forward.”
Johnson will be 34 this summer and had 85 catches last season, for 936 yards. But despite his production, he was told by new Texans head coach Bill O’Brien that he would have his workload reduced, news he could’t take lightly.
“I don’t know how you tell a guy who catches 85 balls that he’ll only probably catch 40. I feel like the role they were trying to put me in I’d be held back from maximizing my talents. I feel like that was the best thing for both sides,” he told the Chronicle. “Why sit there and be miserable when I can go somewhere else and be able to show my talents.”
The Chronicle reported that Johnson and the Texans never talked about a possible pay cut. Johnson has the highest salary on the team, with two years left on his contract. He has a base salary of $10.5 million and the team takes a $16.1 million salary cap hit with him, notes ESPN.
While Johnson’s resume is impressive, the question remains - what team would trade for a 34-year-old receiver who comes with a big contract? As far as he is concerned though, he is definitely not playing for Houston next year. He’s already said goodbye to his fans on Instagram.