The Houston Texans and Andre Johnson are in a bit of a dispute right now and a trade could go down this offseason or next year if he stays away and teams like the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and NY jets all could be interested in making a deal for the wide receiver, as he is one of the best players in the league and if he misses training camp, he could be traded at some point.
According to Pro Football Talk, Johnson said that he is unsure if he will be playing with the Texans this year and this comes after he has stayed away from team activities this offseason. Johnson has not demanded a trade from the Texans, but clearly he is not happy with the team right now after new head coach Bill O'Brien was brought in. Johnson is 33 years old and he spoke last season about not being in the playoffs and only making it to the postseason two times in his career and now the team is likely in a rebuilding mode after losing 14 straight games after opening 2-0 last season.
Johnson is in a tough situation and a trade might be the best solution, as he is set to make $10 million and he already has received an $8.7 million bonus that he would have to pay back if he stayed out all year. The team has not shown a willingness or want to trade Johnson and they could be waiting him out to see if he shows up for training camp. Johnson has not been with the team all season and he missed voluntary workouts as well as the mandatory minicamp and that could lead to moves for him and the Texans. Teams like the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, NY Jets or Miami Dolphins could be interested in a trade, but right now no deal is close to coming down.
Johnson is coming into the season after playing on a 2-14 Texans team and he was the leading receiver once again with over 100 catches and 1400 yards receiving. The NFL doesn't usually see many trades this late in the offseason, but Johnson is not a usual case, as he is one of the best players in the league and has been with the Texans for a decade. Johnson is not asking for more money or a trade yet, but clearly he is not happy with the direction of the franchise and he also now has Ryan Fitzpatrick coming in after his buddy Matt Schaub was traded to the Raiders.
The Raiders have the cap space and the draft picks to make a move, but they also signed James Jones in the offseason and they like how denarius Moore has progressed since last year. The Browns make some sense with Josh Gordon's troubles since they have the cap space too, but Johnson spoke about winning and right now Cleveland might not be the best place to do that. The Patriots have experience with disgruntled, hall of fame wide receivers in the latter stages of their careers, as they brought in Randy Moss once and now they could look at doing it with Johnson.
