|
News broke on Monday that the Houston Texans had given permission for wide receiver Andre Johnson to seek a trade, after reports that they told him he would be in line for a reduced role in 2015. Johnson's play definitely dropped off in 2014, and the Texans now find themselves with $16.1 million in cap space being occupied by a player no longer justifying it (along with a budding star at the position in DeAndre Hopkins). With two years and $21.5 million remaining on the $67.8 million contract Johnson signed in 2010, any potential trade partner is going to have to juggle the salary cap, trade compensation and a reworking of his contract. Up until the end of the 2013 season, Johnson remained one of the best receivers in the game, finishing seventh in the league with 1,407 yards and third in receptions with 109. In fact, you only have to go back to 2012 to find a season when you could make the case that he was the best receiver in football. But Johnson's numbers dropped last season, and while some will point to the quarterback play he was dealing with, Ryan Fitzpatrick had several games where he played well -- and Johnson's play failed to match it. Last season was the first one since 2011 (when Johnson missed a lot of time because of injury), that he failed to crack the 1,000-yard barrier, and his yards per catch (YPC) dropped from 12.9 in 2013 to 11.0 in 2014. Perhaps most concerning is the way his decline can be measured in yards per route run. He led the NFL in 2012 with 3.01, was seventh in 2013 with 2.30, and this past season was 20th with 1.92 YPRR. Despite all that, Johnson can still be an effective receiver, and several teams will be interested in him. Let's take a look at his three best fits:  New England Patriots
|
