The Houston Texans are dealing with some Andre Johnson trade rumors once again and this offseason teams like the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and 49ers could be interested in acquiring the wide receiver, as he said that he was unsure if his future would be in Houston with the team rebuilding and New England could send Danny Amendola in a deal as well.
Johnson came out after the draft and vented his frustrations to the media and while he did not demand a trade, he wondered if Houston was still the best place for him as he gets to the latter stages of his career. Johnson has put up amazing numbers with the Texans and his frustrations stem from a 2-14 season and the fact that head coach Gary Kubiak was fired and now that Bill O'Brien has come in, Johnson may not be long for Houston. According to ESPN.com, Johnson has not yet asked to be traded, but after the team drafted Tom Savage and bypassed some other big names, Johnson has shown his frustration.
Johnson is getting to his mid-30s and while he has been wildly productive in his career, it might be best for both sides to make a move. Last season Johnson had 109 passes for 1,407 yards and five touchdowns while playing with a bad Matt Schaub and an undrafted rookie in Case Keenum and that type of production is hard to replace. As Johnson gets older he may not be as effective and making a move now when demand is still high could be a good option as the Texans try and build back the team they had a couple years ago and were knocking on the door of the Super Bowl.
Johnson is still owed $31.5 million and that makes a deal tougher to deal with, but not impossible. ESPN.com reports that teams like the Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Chiefs and New England Patriots all could be interested in making a deal, as they have certain situations with money and draft picks that could work out. Johnson likely will not be traded, but the Pats have shopped their wideout Danny Amendola and he could be an option to move in a deal to help soften the blow for the Texans and he still has some money left on his contract as well.
The Ravens signed Steve Smith in the offseason and while that could be their big move at WR for the year, the team previously made a big trade for Anquan Boldin that worked out well and they could do it again. The Texans may also look at cutting Johnson eventually, as they can save $8.8 million next season by doing it and that is the more likely option. The Chiefs could be in the mix as well along with the Patriots, but it's more likely this year will play out before Johnson is dealt. The Texans lost 14 straight games after winning their first two last season and Johnson comes in with over 60 TD catches and 12,000 receiving yards in his career for the Texans.
