Andre Johnson has been the one constant of the Houston Texans over the past decade. He has been with the team through its good and bad years, but his time with the team may be coming to an end.
According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapaport, Johnson has asked the Texans to trade him and four teams have already expressed interest in the veteran:
Four teams have expressed interest in trading for #Texans WR Andre Johnson, who is working out now “not thinking of the Texans,” source said
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2014
Johnson is wary of the team going through a rebuilding phase, and at this point in his career he would prefer to be on a team with championship aspirations.
Even still, he had agreed to come in for off-season workouts after talking to head coach Bill O’Brien. Johnson was due a $1 million bonus if he attended all off-season workouts, but missed some of the early sessions. Johnson asked to still receive his bonus by doing extra workouts, but the team refused, which furthered the gap between the two sides.
According to Rapaport, Johnson feels that he has done a lot for the team in the past, and would like some goodwill in return:
Andre Johnson restructured his contract 3 times at the team’s behest. Wants same goodwill from #Texans for $1M bonus. Thinks he’s earned it
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2014
The NFL is a business, but it is about loyalty. Teams want their players to be loyal and players want the same. When that trust is burned, issues arise.
There is still no word on what teams have expressed interest in Johnson, but if he is moved, a motivated Andre Johnson could spell trouble for the rest of the league.
