Andre Johnson has been one of the best receivers in the NFL for years, but after being mentioned in trade rumors during the terrible 2013 season for the Houston Texans, the wideout could get moved this offseason and teams like the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and NY Giants could be interested in making the move before the NFL draft.
The Texans likely will not go down this road, but with Johnson getting older and the team holding the number one draft pick, they have the flexibility to make a deal and it comes after Johnson was upset with things earlier in the season when the team was struggling. The Texans ended up going just 2-14 last year and that is how they ended up with the number one pick and if they decide on a Johnson trade, they could go after Sammy Watkins with the top pick to make up for it, putting him on a team with his former teammate DeAndre Hopkins.
Johnson getting dealt would not be an easy move for the Texans or anyone else to make, but the San Francisco 49ers could be motivated, as they are lacking depth at wideout behind Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Last season the team ranked 30th in passing yards per game and on top of that, Boldin is not getting any younger and Crabtree is coming off of serious surgery from a year ago and adding someone like Johnson could make up for the team losing out on DeSean Jackson, as they were mentioned as a team that was looking to trade for him before he was cut and that wanted to sign him after he was released.
ESPN.com writer Field Yates looked at what it would take for a Johnson trade to go down and if the team did it, they could look at names like Watkins, Mike Evans, Marqise Lee or Jordan Matthews as replacements. Johnson is playing on a seven year deal worth about $70 million that was signed in 2010 and he has a salary next season at $6.5 million and that could be enough to get under the cap for some teams.
Johnson has shown over his career that he is a fantastic wide receiver and last year was no different, as he had one of his best professional seasons while playing with a terrible Matt Schaub and a rookie in Case Keenum. Last season Johnson made 109 receptions for over 1,400 yards and he also added five touchdowns and that came one season after he put up career best numbers with 112 catches for 1,598 yards and four scores. Johnson has never been in double digit touchdowns, but he has been in triple digits on receptions in four of the past six seasons and in one of those he was injured, making it really like four out of five years.
The Niners are a potential option since they have so many draft picks, as they come in this season with 11 and that could be tempting for the Texans. The Raiders and Browns have the money to make the moves, but Oakland doesn't have the picks and Cleveland does, but they may want to sit tight and let the draft come to them. The Browns have three picks in the top 35, including the number four overall pick and they could use that on Watkins if he is available.
