Houston Texans Release WR Andre Johnson, Where Will He Land In NFL Free Agency?
In the NFL, you never truly know what is going to happen next. However, sometimes you see things coming a mile away. In the case of Wide-Out Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans….it was a little bit of both. Ideally, the Texans wanted to trade Johnson. He has been with Houston for a decade and the fans do love him there, but he was not happy. So on Monday afternoon, the Texans released Johnson.
Johnson has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL since he came into the pros in 2003. He is currently the all-time leader in receiving yards and receptions. In the world of Houston, he has literally been the only bright spot and potentially the only man left standing since his rookie season with them. Clearly, the Texans didn’t want to lose a 12 year player who is a seven time pro-bowler, but the move became inevitable..
Sadly, they had to cut him. Andre Johnson had two years left on his contract that forced Houston to pay him $16.1 million. Cutting him allowed for them to save over $8 million next year.
Andre Johnson is one of the better NFL free agents out there. Since free agency starts later today, there is a good chance Johnson will get a call. However, he must realize that he will not make nearly what he made in Houston. As a 12 year veteran, he is by no means done, but he is not a spring chicken either. Teams know that they can sign Johnson in on a lower budget and get production along with it.
There are a lot of teams who would have interest in bringing him in, but Andre Johnson will only go to a team that has the potential to go to the Playoffs and a Super Bowl. Johnson wants to play for a team like that because he knows he only has so much time left. So who could be interested? Where would Andre Johnson want to end up?
Teams such as the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins could sign Johnson.
Miami and Philly both have a lot of cap room to spend and could offer a good bit of money. Meanwhile, the Colts just lost Reggie Wayne and need a good second receiver. With Andrew Luck and a good defense, the Colts very well could compete next year. Then, of course, you have the Super Bowl Champs, the Patriots.
With Tom Brady, you clearly have a QB worthy of someone like Johnson who wants to work with an elite QB. Additionally, he is the type of wide-out Tom loves. The last time he had a guy at this level on his team, he broke records.
At the end of the line is the Seahawks. Unlike New England, there are not a lot of productive wide-outs on the team already. On top of this, they are a running team. However, Johnson would be on a good team with a relatively good QB throwing the ball. He’d also be the number one target at his position. That said, the Seahawks are very much worthy of Andre Johnson.
Where will Andre Johnson land? Time will tell. However, most experts feel that Johnson will not go too long without a team calling him. He may very well be signed before the end of this week.
[IMG Credits: bet.com, cbssports.com]
