After 11 seasons with the Houston Texans, Andre Johnson might be trying to get himself out of a franchise that he doesn’t like the direction its taking. Instead of building on their playoff appearances and getting closer to winning a Super Bowl, it seems like they’re headed towards another rebuilding phase, something Johnson doesn’t want to be a part of.
He’s been there since day 1. The third overall pick of the 2003 NFL draft, Johnson has been a star for the Texans for most of the past decade. He is a 7-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection, leading the league in receiving twice and posting just over 3000 yards over the last couple of seasons. However, it doesn’t mean he’s really happy with the direction the team is taking, especially after seeing what the draft haul looked like.
The Texans needed a quarterback, but they’ll be going into next season with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Savage (fourth round pick in 2014), Case Keenum and T.J. Yates. No one is actually sure that it’s an improvement to the disaster Matt Schaub was in the 2013 season.
The Texans have been needing another wide receiver next to Johnson for years. Although DeAndre Hopkins seems to be developing nicely and will be able to fit in nicely with this offense as his role in it grows, it was a surprise to see the Texans not take a receiver with their 10 picks, using their number one selection on Jadeveon Clowney followed by an offensive guard and tight end.
Johnson has been in the playoffs only twice. The Texans have had only three winning seasons in his time. Owner Bob McNair promised that this isn’t going to be a rebuilding season. Last year was a glitch, but despite replacing the quarterback and the head coach, the plan is to win and now instead of letting some sort of long term process set in.
Johnson doesn’t believe that. He’s been through rebuilding stages before, and it seems to him that he is going into one right now. This means not appearing in OTAs while thinking about his next move. Maybe this is just an emotional first reaction to a disappointing draft and offseason. However, there’s a chance that Johnson is quite serious in expressing his dismay with the situation and who knows, he might have played his last game for the Texans.