Andre Johnson Is Done With The Texans

Andre Johnson was drafted by the Houston Texans before the team's second season of existence, and he's spent the last 12 years becoming the face of the franchise. Johnson caught over 1,000 balls and racked up 13,597 yards while suiting up as the primary wideout for a number of mediocre Texans teams, but now his days in Houston appear to be over.

The that Johnson, who will be 34 next season, has received permission from the Texans to seek a trade. If his agent cannot swing a trade, the team is reportedly ready to cut Johnson and allow him to catch on with another team as a free agent.

All this came about after a meeting between Johnson and head coach Bill O'Brien, during which O'Brien reportedly told the aging star receiver that his role in the offense would be significantly reduced in the coming season. Johnson spoke candidly about the meeting to the Chronicle:

"People try to picture it the way they want to picture it, saying that I asked for a trade (but), there's a reason I asked for a trade," he said. "I think if anybody else was in my situation they would have done the same thing I did.

"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."

Johnson isn't the devastating player that he once was, but he's not a scrub, either. He caught 85 passes for 936 yards last season, and that was on a team that counted Ryan Fitzpatrick as its best quarterback. It would be nice to see what he could do with a competent quarterback throwing him passes, for once.