Rumor: Andre Johnson Available, Browns Interest?
A situation that we thought would play out last year between Andre Johnson and the Houston Texans seems to be coming to a head this off-season. According to a rumor, Johnson has been made available by the Texans to seek a trade:
Texans gave Andre Johnson permission to seek a trade. Told him he'd have a reduced role next season. He asked to be traded or cut instead.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) March 3, 2015
McClain has covered the Texans for years and his information is generally pretty solid. He covered the Johnson situation all off-season last year. Johnson wanted to move on because he thought the team wasn’t ready to compete. Now, a year after showing some strides towards being competitive, the team seems ready to move on from him.
Last season, Johnson had 85 catches for almost 1,000 yards and 3 touchdowns. The two years prior, Johnson had over 100 catches and over 1,400 yards. Now, at 33 years old, he has shown that he can still make an impact in the passing game, even with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mallett throwing him passes in rotation last season.
If the Texans are looking to trade him, the Browns should at least show some interest. Johnson obviously wants to compete but is under contract for two more seasons. If he is traded to a team that he doesn’t want to be he can just not agree to reconstruct his contract. If the Texans find a deal with a team that he wants to play for, Johnson is likely to make his contract a little more cap friendly.
The Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots and even the Seattle Seahawks all could have interest in Johnson if he restructured his deal. Whether the Texans can get anything from a guy that they are actively trying to move is another story. Would the Browns be willing to deal their extra 4th or 6th round pick to acquire Johnson and his over $10 million contract?
McClain followed up that tweet with this one:
If no trade can't be worked out for Johnson, he'll be cut and free to sign with any team after 12 seasons with the Texans.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) March 3, 2015
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Well, there goes all of the Texans leverage. If that is true than the only hope the Texans have is a team that is willing to take on all of Johnson’s contract and wouldn’t have an opportunity to sign Johnson if he was a free agent. The Browns obviously fall into this group but so do a few others. With so many teams have a good amount of salary cap space, a number of teams could look to bring in the veteran receiver.
The Browns would benefit from a talented player who can provide a veteran influence, think far better version of Miles Austin. Johnson’s size and veteran savvy would help whoever is behind center for the Browns. Whether Johnson would embrace that role with an unknown QB situation is another question.
Do you think the Browns should trade for Andre Johnson even given his age and contract status?