Texans receiver Andre Johnson has been given permission by the Houston coaching staff and front office to seek a trade. If his reps cannot find a suitor in the trade market, it's expected he'll be released.
Johnson was the 3rd overall pick out of Miami in 2003 and has spent his entire 12-year career with Houston, but after being told that he wasn't going to be a starter for the Texans this season (and that he would catch 40 passes), he decided that a change needed to be made.
"It's business," Johnson said on Tuesday. "I understand that side of it. I'm not angry about it. I knew at some point in time, this day would come. If we were living in a perfect world, you know I'd want to finish my career here, but, unfortunately, that's not what's going to happen. You just have to move forward. ...
"I don't know how you tell a guy who catches 85 balls that he'll only probably catch 40. I feel like the role they were trying to put me in I'd be held back from maximizing my talents. I feel like that was the best thing for both sides. Why sit there and be miserable when I can go somewhere else and be able to show my talents."
So, Johnson still feels that he can play at a high level and wants to go to a team that appreciates that and will heavily feature him in the offense. The problem is, no team will trade for Johnson at his current cap numbers, so a contract restructuring would be in order. In a market that's been flooded with talent via the Draft -- both last year's class and this year's upcoming class -- it's hard to see a team make that trade either way.
So, let's assume that Johnson gets his release and hits the open market. Would the Seahawks be suitors?
I think the quick answer to that is yes. But, obviously, there are conditions and caveats.
Johnson may be seen by some clubs as the "one final piece" to their championship formula and may be willing to overpay for a 34 year old veteran -- this could price him out of Seattle's comfort range. On the other hand, with so many talented receivers flooding the market the past couple of years, he may see a tepid demand for his services. This could be advantageous for Seattle, who could certainly use a player of Johnson's ilk in their offense.
I think, because of Seattle's success the past two seasons, they'd be an attractive location for any veteran looking for a shot at a ring, but their low-volume offense presents issues. It's highly unlikely he'd catch 80 balls here in Seattle -- I think maybe a high range expectation would be closer to 60-70, but if he's a de facto #1 in this offense, would the actual volume matter? Maybe?
Random note on Andre Johnson: His average number of catches per game (6.0) is highest in NFL history (min: 100 games), per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 3, 2015
These are the questions.
It's been my opinion that Johnson would be a great fit in the likely case his time in Houston were to end, and now that this has happened (or will happen, anyway), I'm fully in favor of making him an offer. A steady, physical, go-up-and-get it security blanket for Russell Wilson -- a player he can absolutely trust on the outside even when he's not "open", would be pretty damn valuable. Further, his experience, leadership, work ethic, and reputation as one of the all-time great receivers could help a young group of receivers like Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood develop.