[Chron] Andre Johnson no longer wants to be a Texan

I love AJ but the bottom line is that he's getting paid well and Houston and it's fans do not deserve this. He should be grateful that he gets paid to play a game he loves and unfortunately you can't always win the big one. By leaving there are no guarantees of a ring and just because he's getting older still gives him no right to cry like this. He signed a contract for a lot of money and that contract says he wants to play for Houston for many millions so he needs to give his best till that contract ends. I have loved watching him play and can understand some of his frustrations but I'm so tired of watching all these pro athletes cry when they are so blessed to have the talents and income they get in return.

 

Agreed. Andre could handle it better, but I'm not too mad. Dre has been great and is the longest tenured Texan of significance other than the owner.. and McNair's history is garbage compared Andre. Shame $1mil is the current difference. If he gets dealt, I'd hope he wins and catches 10+ TDs every year.

 

If Andre had done this last year, I would have been pissed.

Going 2-14 after such high expectations going into last year leaves me pretty meh this year, regardless of what happens. If Dre isn't here, good luck to him. If he shows up, great. If the Texans tell him to sit on his ass at home next year if he doesn't want to play, I'm fine with that too.

 

Trade him somewhere very cold, where he'll take rib shots over the middle in 10 degree weather, where he has no chance to win. The first two that come to mind are Cleveland and Buffalo. I don't say this thinking that we need "revenge" or whatever.

If you trade him to the 49'ers, for instance, with that amazing weather and a team that could win a super bowl it will look like Andre made a savvy move by screwing the Texans. Every chump with a grudge is going think he can demand a trade to a better location at the slightest whim - even if it isn't true, some of them will try it and you'll be cleaning up the mess for a decade.

No matter what happens, this is a "lose" for the franchise - even if you trade him for a decent draft pick, with that cap hit and it occurring after all the free agents have signed guarantees the outcome of trading him is net negative. If Andre "wins" in this, it is bad for the team and if you have to bite the bullet and trade him, it needs to be a lose-lose. Scorched earth. We don't negotiate with terrorists, etc.

Do it "the Chicago Way":

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Nothing personal, Andre, its just business.

 

He can't force a trade so I wouldn't even consider one. No one would give up enough to make it worth our while anyway. Just tell him to either play or retire and leave it at that. If he wants to look like ass in essentially a contract year and lose more money in fines he can feel free to skip training camp, if he wants to retire that's fine too. Andre has a LOT more to lose than the Texans because they aren't contending this season no matter what.

 

I can understand this point of view, but consider Dre's potential success as a bigger knock against Kubiak, Schaub, and the questionable owner. Theoretically, the more success Dre has the more success BO'B has. Coaching has been highly suspect and same goes with the local basketball team.

Did you cheer for the Spurs?

 

Screw Andre. I'm tired of this whole fiasco. The respect I had for him is quickly going down the toilet.

 

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Andre Johnson would be willing to restructure his contract to facilitate a trade, but not take a pay-cut.
In other words, Johnson would gladly help a new club kick the can down the road, but would still expect to eventually collect every cent in it. Johnson's $15.644 million cap number greatly complicates any potential deal, and would make a restructure all but necessary.

 

Andre Johnson has a legacy here and was so patient and loyal. Good for him to leave.

 

First we ship out Hakeem albeit now Andre wants to leaves...

 

First we ship out Hakeem albeit he was way past his prime but still. Now Andre wants to leaves...

 

Count on Johnson to be with Texans when the dust settles

[rQUOTEr]The Andre Johnson controversy will be resolved one of two ways: He will report to the Texans under the terms of his contract, or he will sit out.

Johnson, one of the best receivers in NFL history, will not be traded for several reasons. The Texans want him to finish his career in Houston. They know they are a better team with him. And they don't want to set a precedent for similar situations that might develop in the future.

As the Texans get closer to reporting July 25, it is obvious that they are not going to guarantee any part of Johnson's contract, which calls for base salaries of $10 million (2014), $10.5 million (2015) and $11 million (2016).

Each year, Johnson gets a $1 million workout bonus if he participates in the offseason program, which he refused to do this year.

Johnson's salary-cap figure this year is $15.6 million because the $1 million workout bonus must be carried on top of the $14.6 million that includes base salary and prorated signing bonus. In 2015, Johnson's cap figure is $16.1 million.

There is speculation the Texans might cut Johnson after next season. Why would they? Johnson, who turns 33 Friday, is the greatest player in team history.

The cap went up $10 million this year. The Texans are about $8 million under the cap. There are reports that the cap could go up another $10 million next year. Cutting Johnson, who is coming off back-to-back outstanding seasons, doesn't seem likely.

Johnson told NFL Media at a Nike event Wednesday that he had not decided if he would be playing in the Texans' opener against Washington.

Let's analyze that unlikely possibility. NFL players earn their base salaries over 17 weeks, beginning the week before the first game of the regular season.

That means if Johnson doesn't report for the regular season, he will give up $588,235 a week.

I just don't see a 33-year-old receiver passing up $588,235 a week. Do you?

And there is the matter of Johnson's being fined for his absence. He was fined almost $70,000 for missing the mandatory minicamp. He can be fined $30,000 a day in training camp, and the Texans can recover a portion of his signing bonus if they choose to do it.

Or they can forgive and forget all those fines when he reports.

Games add to résumé

Here is something else to consider for anyone who believes Johnson might sit out a regular-season game. Because he is one of the most prolific receivers in history, he is a legitimate candidate to be voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

To continue to enhance his résumé, Johnson needs to play.

On Thursday, someone close to Johnson spoke with the NFL Network's Ian Rappaport and disclosed some behind-the-scenes developments, including a dispute over the $1 million workout bonus that Johnson could have earned if he had reported with his teammates the first week of April.

Johnson missed 10 organized team activity sessions and offered to report to minicamp if he could get the workout bonus. The Texans refused. The workout bonus is in his contract for a reason.

This all boils down to a contract that was renegotiated with five years left and had both sides happy. At least they said they were at the time. It's obvious the Texans aren't interested in altering that contract. If they do, that sets another precedent.

QB not the issue

Some think Johnson is unhappy because he doesn't have a big-time quarterback. They don't know Johnson very well.

Johnson never has had a big-time quarterback, and he has averaged more catches per game - and the second-most yards per game - than any receiver in history. Not to mention being voted to seven Pro Bowls.

Others speculate Johnson doesn't want to go through a rebuilding year. Right or wrong, the Texans don't think they are rebuilding.

Johnson isn't going anywhere. It's just business.

And here's a prediction: When he finally reports, probably before the Washington opener, Johnson will work as hard as ever, keep his mouth shut as he always does, learn his new system, have another terrific season, and continue to augment his Hall of Fame résumé.
[/rQUOTEr]

 

Great, Pancakes is tossing out absolutes...

Spoiler

Thanks for the memories, 'Dre!

 

I dunno.
People generally side with Management over employees.
So I suspect you will hear a bunch about how the Texans bent over backwards to accommodate 'The new Diva'

Rocket River

 

Seriously, eff this guy. While the teams have sucked for the most part, we as fans have enthusiastically supported them since 2002. This is a slap in the face to us, so as far as I'm concerned, he can **** off. I hope Courtland Finnegan gets his revenge one day.

 

None of that would work because he doesn't want to play here.

This isn't really about the money...

 

I was thinking a pick would be good, especially a 2nd rounder... But with Rick Smith drafting _ that pick could possibly be worthless. Best to try to work things out with AJ and keep him here.

 

You could be right, but I don't know. Something just doesn't smell right about this.

He's demanding to get paid for a workout that he chose not to attend. Just doesn't make sense.