Why the Houston Texans won’t trade Andre Johnson

Andre Johnson may not be content with his current situation, but don’t expect the Houston Texans to trade him, either.

Johnson told NFL Media he didn’t know if he would play for the Texans in 2014:

“I’ve had conversations with the organization. I haven’t been public about anything, so I just choose not to talk publicly about it. It’s in-house and that’s the way I choose to keep it. I’m not a big media guy, so I refuse to talk about it publicly. Training camp is a few weeks away, so we’ll see what happens.”

NFL Media: Will we see you in a Texans uniform next season?

“I don’t know. I can’t answer that question.”

Johnson has said he doesn’t want to be part of another rebuilding effort after Houston’s 2-14 season in 2013. He turns 33 years old Friday, and knows he doesn’t have much time left in the NFL. There have been whispers about a demand to be traded, but coach Bill O’Brien has said he would like to have Johnson with the team next season.

In an attempt to show how serious he was about the Texans improving before offering his commitment to them, Johnson has missed all offseason training so far, which forfeited a $1 million workout bonus.

The reality remains, however, that Johnson is still under contract — and one that pays him quite well. According to spotrac.com, Johnson is due $14.6 million in 2014.

But there’s another number that says everything you need to know about why Houston won’t trade Johnson: if the franchise ships Johnson elsewhere, it will result in almost $12 million in dead cap space. It’s a significant amount that makes it very difficult to conceive a feasible trade. Even if another team does make a compelling offer, it would then need to take on a huge lump of Johnson’s lucrative deal.

It’s simple: the Texans have all the leverage in this situation. The team has nothing to gain from letting Johnson go unless the package that is offered in a trade is so outrageously good that it would surpass the dead cap space and would be impossible to pass up. Don’t count on that happening.

That doesn’t mean that Johnson will absolutely play for the Texans next season. He still has the option of sitting out for the entire 2014 campaign. But let’s be real; there’s no chance he walks away from $14.6 million.

If Johnson fails to show up for training camp when the team reports July 25, fines will follow. That will be the next step in determining just how far apart the two sides are.

If Johnson is gaining anything from his absence from offseason workouts, it’s letting the franchise know that he wants to win. At this point, however, it just doesn’t make sense that he’ll be headed anywhere other than Houston.


(usatoday.com)