Source: Texans plan to cut Andre Johnson if he refuses pay cut

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Andre Johnson tells our pals McBerman: &quot;Why sit there and be miserable when I can go somewhere else and be able to show my talents?&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a></p>&mdash; Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) <a href="https://twitter.com/taniaganguli/status/572615543838142465">March 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
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He's still got plenty left in the tank. Fitzpatrick made him look bad, IMO.

 

Where did you read that? Reduced role doesn't mean not starting. More likely the Texans planned on making Hopkins the primary receiver next season. He was the better WR last year. And that would have made Andre WR2.

EDIT: Nevermind. Found this quote from Andre: "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."

Yeah, weird. They definitely weren't going to give Demaris touches over him. And our TE receiving corps really isn't all that impressive. And it's not like we've signed somebody else. And you can't count on rookie WR's. So, just weird if they really did tell Andre to only expect 40 catches.

 

Perhaps bash him for being a liar instead.


http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexan...hnson-texans-made-peace/#1569101=0&25394103=0

Ultimately, owner Bob McNair’s relationship with Andre Johnson played the most significant role in convincing the receiver to report to the Texans on Friday.

McNair met with Johnson in his office at NRG Stadium on July 18 and spoke with him on the telephone this week, according to three people with behind-the-scenes insight into the resolution of the Johnson controversy.

McNair assured Johnson the Texans have no intentions of cutting him after this season and that the owner expects him to finish his career with the Texans and become the first member of the team to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

I love Johnson, but we should let him go somewhere and chase a ring.

Texans are still a QB away, and there are no developed ones ready on the market and don't develop overnight.

Texans could use the cap space and a few extra picks. They aren't winning the title this year or next anyways.

 

Oh man BOB better pray Dre sucks wherever he decides to go because if he does better than our WRs he will look like an idiot.

All the quotes I'm reading make it sound like BOB doesn't think Dre can contribute as a #1 or #2

 

I don't think he cares. He's a Belichick guy. If wins at all then he'll get away with anything here just like Belichick in Boston.

 

Well I hope he has a plan because if he doesn't or gambles a bit too much the Texans might be worse than they worse last season and THAT would be a disaster.

 

What was he scheduled to make under his current contract, and how low did Texans want to renegotiate him down to in order to keep him?

Just curious how much he effectively turned down to play here, vs. how much he'll make wherever he ends up going, when we find that out.

 

Dre doesn't suck, will never suck and I sincerely hope he gets a ring and the in the HOF.
But the NFL has a salary cap that has to be managed to produce the best 53 man team, balanced throughout 22 positions; they all are necessary and contribute to the teams success. Paying one WR 10% of the total cap diminishes the ability to pay the other 52 players and you would only do it if 1. he is an absolute game changer you can't afford to lose to another team's legitimate offer or 2. he is the face of the team that sustains the fan's interest when the team is not winning.

Andre was both 1 and 2 but now he's not. So, the Team now cannot afford to pay him what his contract stipulates and still build a winning 53.

You might blame Rick Smith's contract management, he should have never back loaded the deal with an astronomical salary, but Dre' was our only commodity at the time and rarity yields value. Now, Watt is the face of the team and Andre' doesn't give us an overwhelming advantage when he is in the game.

In business, it's all about value and return on investment.

 

as most belichick guys have realized, it's tough out there without a hof at qb. i just hope for B.o.b to improve his situational coaching. straight up lost us 2 games and i'll throw in not being prepared for an onsides kick, so three games in reality.

 

BOB turned a 2-14 team into a 9-7 team. Did you seriously think that was a 12-4 squad? He got the most out of that group.

Love Dre, but the salary cap makes for hard cuts like this. There is no room in this sport for giant sentimental contracts.

 

11-5, 10-6. yes i thought it was. all you had to do was not have a qb with 2 missing arms under center. that's what 2o13 was with the picksix festival, after that seattle game it all snowballed and the team just gave in.

 

I wonder if BO'B was giving AJ80 the whole, "are you about you or are you about the team" test with those quotes that Dre put out there in the Solomon article.

Everything out of BO'B's mouth has been about team, and so having your best player say that they won't be happy without getting touches goes against that philosophy, so he dropped the hammer.

 

This was not about role. This was not about touches. This was about money.

"Reduced role" is code for "take a pay cut".

 

Exactly This ^^^^

85 catches, caught a lot to keep drives alive with 4 mediocrity QB'S and they tell this man to take a reduced role. That's hilarious HTOWN

 

I don't know what they told him.

If they told him that it was simply about money and that they can't afford to pay that, I'm fine with it. I expected that...and I think it's the right decision, even though I hate to see him go.

If they told him that if he were here he'd only get a limited role with about 40 catches, then I'm less fine with that...because it's ridiculous.

 

You have no idea if that's true. Getting cut and signing elsewhere likely means an increased role but less money than if he renegotiated to stay here.

Older players, assuming they have made a lot of money and been responsible with it, tend to want different things than typical NFL players. Playing time and winning situations trump for a lot of end-of-career players. For example, Wes Welker probably could have gotten more money than Denver offered - but he had a chance to play with Peyton, compete for SBs, and stick it to Belichick there.

 

His agent claims that they never got to contract talk. All they discussed was a limited role that would involve Andre not starting every game and that he could expect to catch around 45 balls. Andre has said that he laughed at them when they told him this. Couldn't believe it was real.

I'm not a fan of how the Texans have handled this. I don't get why they couldn't be honest with Andre Johnson. I just don't get it.

 

His numbers were down but I still thought he looked pretty dang good out there and I can easily see him rack up a couple more 1000+ yard seasons.