The Houston Texans are dealing with Andre Johnson trade rumors as he remains absent from team activities and a deal to the New England Patriots could be an option, as the team has Ryan Mallett as a backup for Tom Brady, but he could slide in for the short term in Houston over starting Tom Savage, Case Keenum or Ryan Fitzpatrick for head coach Bill O'Brien.
The absence of Johnson comes at an interesting time in his career, as he is 32 years old and still is one of the top receivers in the league, but he is not demanding a trade and is not upset at his contract. According to ESPN.com, Johnson is frustrated with the way the team has been built up this offseason, including at the QB position, as Houston passed up names to draft Tom Savage and Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the second coming of Tom Brady. Johnson and O'Brien have been in contact and the head coach has said that all talks have been optimistic.
Johnson vented frustration about the Texans making the playoffs just a few times since he has been there and he is coming off of another great season with 109 catches for 1,407 yards and five scores. Last season Matt Schaub was not at his best and the team ended up losing 14 straight games after winning the first two and that was hard on Johnson as well. No one faults the team for taking Jadeveon Clowney at number one overall, but Johnson seems miffed at the team taking Savage over more polished and ready players like Derek Carr or Johnny Manziel. Either way, he hasn't said that publically, but clearly he wants something to change or at least some assurances the team is not rebuilding.
The Sporting News broke down some teams that could be in the mix for Johnson and they mentioned the Patriots, Jets, Colts, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders as teams that could potentially fit a deal. According to ESPN.com, Johnson has not been at any team activities this offseason and he also said that he did not plan on attending the mandatory minicamp next month and that is the next big date on the calendar for the Texans. Johnson still has not yet said exactly what he wants from the team, but he was dismayed about having to play for a new coach just two years after being a Super Bowl contender and he clearly is worried about a potential rebuilding situation after going just 2-14 last season.
Johnson has been dominant over the past couple years and he also has been relatively healthy apart from one major injury and now he could be looking to move on. Last season the Texans went just 2-14 on the season and now they are heading into some uncertainty with the QB situation and that could be what is keeping Johnson away. Chances are he will return for training camp since right now the workouts are voluntary and it's not costing him any money, but it's not good that one of the best players on the team is missing valuable workout time with a new offense and coaching staff.