Andre Johnson has been the subject of trade rumors after staying away from OTAs during the offseason and while he has not demanded a trade, the wideout is not sure he wants to stay with the Houston Texans in the future and that has fueled speculation about a trade with Ryan Mallett and the New England Patriots, while teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and NY Jets could also be looking at making a deal.
The Texans have a new head coach in Bill O'Brien and he has said that all his talks with the receiver have been positive this offseason and that he is not worried about his absence. According to ESPN.com, Johnson has said that he plans on staying away from team activities this offseason as well as the mandatory minicamp coming up and that could force the hand of the Texans. Johnson spoke to the media and sounded frustrated after going 2-14 last season when the team came into the year as Super Bowl contenders and he also commented on having his third head coach since coming to Houston.
Johnson likely does not want to be on a rebuilding team, but in the NFL teams go from worst to first all the time, including the Chiefs last season. One thing that's different with those two teams is the QB situation and that could be one reason why Johnson is miffed. O'Brien comes in with a high pedigree on quarterbacks, as he was position coach for the Patriots with Tom Brady before heading to Penn State and that suits him to help get Tom Savage ready for the NFL after the Texans drafted him. Johnson did not sound excited about that prospect and the other QBs on the roster are Case Keenum and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
O'Brien's connections to the Patriots and the fact that Savage is a raw talent has many thinking that the Texans could go after someone like Ryan Mallett or Kirk Cousins before the season. That's unlikely now that the summer workouts are getting closer, but the Patriots fueled the fire this weekend with some comments and those connections are why Mallett could be in the mix. Mallett is coming into the last year of his contract this season and the Pats selected Jimmy Garoppolo with their second round pick, meaning they likely do not want to keep him on the bench for long.
Last season Johnson made 109 receptions for 1,407 yards and five touchdowns and that came after another very productive season and he did it last year while playing with a so-so Matt Schaub and an undrafted rookie in Case Keenum and still was great. Johnson has been as consistent as any receiver in the league over the past decade and he holds every offensive mark for the Texans at the WR position. the Texans may not make a move and Johnson could be on the roster for Day one of the season, but right now it looks like a trade will be going down at some point and Johnson could be on his way to a winning team with a better QB.
