The New England Patriots are coming into the 2014 season with high expectations and some have called for an Andre Johnson trade to vault the team into the top spot for Super Bowl contention and Ryan Mallett could be traded to the Houston Texans after Johnson has been absent from OTA workouts and has expressed frustration with rookie Tom Savage at quarterback, but so far there has been no movement and Bill Belichick likely will go into the season with the team he has constructed.
Johnson has been staying away from team activities this offseason and while he has not yet demanded a trade, things could turn that way if he continues down this road. The Texans do not want to trade Johnson since he is one of their best players, but if he stays away from a new head coach and a new offense for too long, they may not have a choice. According to the Sporting News, the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders are the top options for Johnson and the Texans if a deal ends up going down.
The Patriots are likely not actively looking to make this trade, but adding Johnson to a team with Tom Brady would be a bit insane and would launch the Pats to the front of the pack when it comes to Super Bowl favorites. The team reportedly was shopping Danny Amendola in the offseason and that could be an option, but Mallett makes the most sense. Mallett is coming into the last year of his contract and the Texans reportedly were interested at one point in trading for him.
The Texans are coming into the season after going 2-14 and while they may not be totally rebuilding, it will be tough for the team to bounce back this year. Johnson said that Houston may not be in the future for him and while he may not be asking for a trade outright, he is doing everything to make it seem like he wants one and heading out could be the next move for Houston. The Patriots are the favorites in the division even without Johnson, but adding 109 catches for 1,407 yards and five touchdowns would be great for any offense.
According to ESPN.com, the team has Case Keenum, T.J. Yates and Ryan Fitzpatrick along with Tom Savage and that means one of the players, likely Keenum or Yates will be gone. O'Brien has not said how many QBs will be in camp, but if it's three Fitz and Savage are safe since one was drafted and the other was given $4 million guaranteed. Keenum started a number of games last season and Yates started a playoff game for the team a couple years ago and now one of them could be on the chopping block. The team lost 14 straight games last season and now Johnson holds the cards and has to decide if he wants to return.