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HOUSTON -- It was not money but rather a changing role that Andre Johnson balked at. He still considers himself a starter, and the Texans don't. We knew that before Johnson spoke out, but he offered his perspective to Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle, who spoke with a none-too-pleased Johnson last night about his conversation with Texans coach Bill O'Brien.  "I just laughed," Johnson said Monday night. "They gave me my role, and I just laughed at them. How do you tell a guy who is used to catching 80 balls a year that he was going to catch 40?"
Solomon hammers home the point that the Texans don't have another pass-catcher who has proven he can be a significant threat beyond DeAndre Hopkins. He finds it ludicrous, given that, that the Texans would let go of the best offensive player in franchise history. I see his point, but I'll withhold judgment for now. While that's true as the roster stands now, you have to assume the Texans feel confident they can find someone in free agency or the draft whose production can improve upon what they would have gotten from Johnson this year. The draft is packed with talent at the receiver position, and the Texans have done very well drafting receivers in the first round. Johnson was the third overall pick in 2003. Hopkins was the 27th overall pick in 2013. While the Texans' 2013 draft was overall a bad one, Hopkins was one of the best players to come out of that year's first round, a round filled with disappointment. I'll withhold judgment until I see the full plan. If the Texans' current receivers remain their only receivers next season then they'll deserve all of the ire for having let go of a franchise icon, under threat of 40 catches a year. If they add a true starter, especially one who can take them into the future, then this move was simply the team being honest to a player about his future. That honesty led to hurt feelings, but also a chance for Johnson perhaps to land with a team that has a more established quarterback situation. It could be a chance for him to chase a Super Bowl, as his agent, Kennard McGuire, told me on Monday night, which Johnson had always hoped would happen with the Texans. McGuire also spoke with Solomon and made this point: "Where was this kindness last year?" It's true that letting Johnson go when he was a year younger might have improved his chances of a good landing spot. A new staff wouldn't have the capital to come right in and say they were planning to transition away from the longest-tenured player in franchise history. Johnson, too, had a very productive 2013 season. He caught 109 passes (the third-highest total of his career) for 1,407 yards (the fourth highest total of his career). These kinds of splits are painful. The end rarely goes well in the NFL, often because there comes a point with nearly every player when their own view on their value and ability splits from the team's. Ultimately, this move might serve both parties well. We just don't know yet.
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