Andre Johnson - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Release Andre Johnson

March 9th, 2016 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 9: The Colts announced that they’ve released Johnson.

MARCH 4: To no one’s surprise, the Colts have told wide receiver Andre Johnson that they will be releasing him, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. A February report had suggested that Johnson had played his last down in Indianapolis.

After spending 12 seasons in Houston, Johnson signed a three-year, $21MM contract with the Colts a year ago, and looked poised to enjoy the benefits of catching balls from Andrew Luck after playing with a cavalcade of mediocre quarterbacks over the years with the Texans. However, Luck missed more than half the season, and Johnson struggled, averaging a career-low 31.4 receiving yards per game. For the season, he had 41 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns, easily the worst full-season marks of his career.

Given how weak this year’s free agent market for wide receivers is, Johnson would likely receive interest from a handful of teams when he officially becomes available. But for a player who averaged more than 1,100 receiving yards per season during the first 12 years of his career, earning seven Pro Bowl nods during that time, last year’s drop-off was precipitous.

Nonetheless, agent Kennard McGuire recently indicated that his client isn’t contemplating retirement, telling Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that Johnson doesn’t intend to call it a career anytime soon. “Retirement hasn’t been discussed,” McGuire said. “Andre is training and preparing for next season.”

Half of Johnson’s $5MM base salary for 2016 is fully guaranteed, so releasing the veteran wideout will leave $2.5MM in dead money on the Colts’ books. However, the club will clear the other half of that salary and will avoid paying Johnson a $2.5MM roster bonus, creating $5MM in overall cap savings for the coming season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Andre Johnson Preparing To Play In 2016

February 24th, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

8:50am: Johnson’s agent, Kennard McGuire, tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that his client doesn’t intend to call it a career anytime soon. “Retirement hasn’t been discussed,” McGuire said. “Andre is training and preparing for next season.”

8:01am: Calvin Johnson isn’t the only longtime star receiver who is contemplating retirement this offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Andre Johnson also “has a decision” to make. Rapoport adds that Johnson has played his last down in Indianapolis, suggesting that the Colts plan to move on from him this winter even if he continues his career.

After spending 12 seasons in Houston, Johnson signed a three-year contract with the Colts a year ago, and looked poised to enjoy the benefits of catching balls from Andrew Luck after playing with a cavalcade of mediocre quarterbacks over the years with the Texans. However, Luck missed more than half the season, and Johnson struggled, averaging a career-low 31.4 receiving yards per game. For the season, he had 41 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns, easily the worst full-season marks of his career.

Rapoport’s suggestion that Indianapolis is expected to release Johnson comes as no real surprise, since it seemed unlikely the club would want to keep his $7.5MM cap hit on the books after such an underwhelming 2015 campaign. If they cut him, the Colts could reduce Johnson’s cap hit by $5MM, leaving just $2.5MM in dead money on their cap.

Given how weak this year’s free agent market for wide receivers is, Johnson would likely receive interest from a handful of teams if he were to become available. But for a player who averaged more than 1,100 receiving yards per season during the first 12 years of his career, earning seven Pro Bowl nods during that time, last year’s drop-off was precipitous, so the 34-year-old will first need to determine whether he wants to keep playing. Based on Rapoport’s report, it sounds like that decision has yet to be made.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Andre Johnson Had Interest In Dolphins

July 8th, 2015 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

When Andre Johnson was released by the Texans back in March, it didn’t take him long to find a new home in the AFC South. After receiving some interest from the Chargers, Eagles, and a handful of other clubs, the veteran wideout signed with the Colts, joining former Miami Hurricanes teammate Frank Gore in Indianapolis.

While he’s happy to be a Colt, Johnson admitted that, after having played his high school and college ball in Miami, playing for the Dolphins “was something [he] thought about,” writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

“I always had a dream of playing at home. I was a huge Dolphins fan,” Johnson said. “But they never called.”

The Dolphins revamped their wide receiving corps this offseason, jettisoning Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Brandon Gibson, while bringing aboard Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings, and first-round draft pick DeVante Parker.

While Johnson could’ve potentially filled the role occupied by Jennings, Miami seemed to be targeting younger, cheaper players for its top roles, while Jennings is expected to be a complementary piece — at two years and $8MM, Jennings was a more affordable veteran addition than Johnson (three years, $21MM) would have been.

Colts To Sign Andre Johnson

March 11th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

4:57pm: Johnson didn’t take much of a pay cut. He was due to make $10.5MM this year with the Texans and his new deal with the Colts will give him $10MM fully guaranteed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.

3:11pm: Andre Johnson announced on Instagram that he has signed with the Colts. It’s a three-year deal worth $21MM, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Johnson, who is entering his age-34 season, caught a team-high 85 balls in 2014, but that was his lowest total for a full season in about a decade. The former third overall pick also averaged just 62.4 yards per game, the third-lowest mark of his 12-year career. Houston reportedly asked Johnson to accept a reduced role in the offense going forward, which prompted discussion of a trade. Ultimately, the Texans could not find a taker for him and his contract, leading to his formal release on Monday.

Johnson was talking with fellow veteran Frank Gore about joining up with the Eagles, but when Gore backed out of his agreement with Philly to presumably sign with the Colts, their attention shifted to Indianapolis. Now, star quarterback Andrew Luck’s offense will be souped up in 2015 with the additions of two high-profile veterans.

The Chargers were among the teams working hard to lure Johnson and set up his next meeting, but the Colts managed to sign him before he could meet with anyone else, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

Any team acquiring Johnson via trade from the Texans would have been responsible for his $10.5MM base salary and $1MM roster bonus on top of giving up assets, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him released instead. Houston created $8.825MM in cap savings by releasing Johnson, even without designating him as a post-June 1 cut.

Even though he appeared to lose a step in 2014, Johnson still graded out as an above-average wide receiver according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). All in all, he finished No. 40 out of 110 qualified wide receivers.

Extra Points: Suh, Wilson, Revis

March 11th, 2015 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross says he’s confident that the Dolphins did not break any rules in the lead up to the Ndamukong Suh signing, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. The Dolphins appear to have struck an agreement with the defensive tackle during the “legal tampering” period, but the league specifically asked that handshake deals not go down during that time. Of course, other teams certainly exchanged figures prior to Tuesday, but Suh was one of the most prominent free agents available. More from around the NFL..

Seahawks GM John Schneider said the team has met with the agents for Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, though the reps for each player know Seahawks have other things to do, as well, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter links).
A year ago, the Raiders were willing to assume all of Darrelle Revis‘ existing contract with the Buccaneers but the cornerback’s camp convinced the team that he wouldn’t report, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.
The Patriots dropped out of negotiations with Revis upon hearing he was seeking $16MM per year and $40MM guaranteed, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
The Chargers offered Andre Johnson more money than he got from the Colts, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweets. It’s not known how much San Diego offered, but the Colts got Johnson for $21MM over three years.
Tom Benson, principal owner of the Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to remove all stock in the sports franchises from the trust funds that he set up for his daughter and grandchildren, Andy Grimm of The Times-Picayune writes.

Latest On Andre Johnson, Colts

March 11th, 2015 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are still in hot pursuit of Andre Johnson, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets. The two sides are meeting today, but Johnson is interested in several teams. Chappell feels that the Colts need to seal the deal today if they want to land the veteran wide receiver.

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) adds that Johnson’s first visit was with the Colts, though there are a whopping seven other teams interested in his services. La Canfora hears that Johnson is taking it all one day at a time and is still sorting through things.

Johnson, who is entering his age-34 season, caught a team-high 85 balls in 2014, but that was his lowest total for a full season in about a decade. The former third overall pick also averaged just 62.4 yards per game, the third-lowest mark of his 12-year career. Houston reportedly asked Johnson to accept a reduced role in the offense going forward, which prompted discussion of a trade. Ultimately, the Texans could not find a taker for him and his contract, leading to his formal release on Monday.

Johnson was talking with fellow veteran Frank Gore about joining up with the Eagles, but when Gore 86’d his pending pact with Philly to sign with the Colts (we think), their attention shifted to Indianapolis.

NFC FA Rumors: Hardy, Peterson, Worilds

March 10th, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears there’s at least some cursory interest in Greg Hardy from the 49ers. Still, it’s very early in the process and his signing might drag on for some time. No matter who signs him, Robinson says (link) that it’ll be a slow process and he expects to see some media leaks to see how it plays publicly. More from the NFC..

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson met with the Wilfs in New York on Monday and GM Rick Spielman, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. It was a continuation of the discussion Peterson had last week with Spielman and Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who huddled with Peterson for about four hours at his home outside Houston to discuss his future with the team.
Jason Worilds has a clear idea of what he wants but both the Giants and Steelers think that price is too high, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com tweets. As one source told the NFL.com scribe, “We’re not paying $1MM per sack.” Worilds notched 7.5 sacks in 2014.
B.J. Raji‘s preference is to return to the Packers but he’s weighing offers and his return is no sure thing right now, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The Lions are still trying to get something done with Nick Fairley but he’s got some interest elsewhere, Robinson tweets.
The Packers are not pursuing Andre Johnson at this time, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. It appears that Johnson was only being looked at in case Randall Cobb went elsewhere.
The Falcons are expected to be in play for Rams tight end Lance Kendricks, according to Jim Thomas of the Post Dispatch (on Twitter).

Colts Expected To Sign Frank Gore, Meeting With Andre Johnson

March 10th, 2015 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

11:25am: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the deal Gore is expected to sign with the Colts is similar to the one he would’ve signed with the Eagles. It’s for three years, with a total value of $12MM, and $7.5MM guaranteed. However, we shouldn’t lock that in quite yet, given what happened between Gore and the Eagles — Pro Football Talk reports (via Twitter) that the veteran back hasn’t made his final decision yet.

11:13am: Both Johnson and Gore are traveling to Indianapolis today to meet with the Colts, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.

11:06am: Frank Gore appeared ready to join Chip Kelly and the Eagles, but on Monday night he started having second thoughts. Now, he appears to be leaning heavily towards signing with the Colts instead. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, Gore got cold feet with Philly in part because he didn’t want a coach like Kelly to ride him hard at this stage in his career.

There were multiple concerns for Gore even beyond that. The tailback told friends he was more intrigued by the chance to play in the Colts’ offense than with the Eagles’ personnel. Also, the Colts’ offer to him is slightly more lucrative than the deal Philly was ready to give him. And, from a football standpoint, he was worried that the Eagles might struggle without Maclin and without a big-time receiving threat. Sources that Garafolo have spoken with are reluctant to say that he’s headed to the Colts for sure given that Gore has flip-flopped once already, but all signs are pointing that way.

Meanwhile, it sounds like the Eagles had a plan to pair Gore with a big time receiving threat before the deal fell apart. Someone close to wide receiver Andre Johnson told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com (on Twitter) that the Eagles wanted both him and Gore. Now, Johnson is on the owner’s private jet in transit to Indianapolis and after a phone conversation, both veterans have agreed to join the Colts.

However, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter) says that while Johnson may end up in Indy, three people close to him insist that he’s still working out in Miami this morning.

Texans Release Andre Johnson

March 9th, 2015 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

2:57pm: The Texans have officially released Johnson, signaling the end an era in Houston, reports Adam Schefer of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

9:52am: Unable to find a suitable trade for Andre Johnson, the Texans are expected to release the veteran wide receiver today, reports Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter links). Johnson’s agent, Kennard McGuire, reportedly asked the team to cut his client last week.

Johnson, who is entering his age-34 season, caught a team-high 85 balls in 2014, but that was his lowest total for a full season in about a decade. The former third overall pick also averaged just 62.4 yards per game, the third-lowest mark of his 12-year career. Houston reportedly asked Johnson to accept a reduced role in the offense going forward, which prompted discussion of a trade, and will end the receiver’s time with the Texans.

If and when Johnson hits the open market, a handful of teams in need of receiving help are expected to have interest. The Raiders, Colts, Eagles, Browns, and Patriots are among the teams I’d consider potential fits, though the longtime Texan could definitely draw interest from other suitors as well.

AFC Rumors: Cameron, Bulaga, Langford, Raiders

March 8th, 2015 at 11:16pm CST by Rob DiRe

Tight end Jordan Cameron has become one of the most sought after free agents in the league during this “legal tampering” period, drawing interest from the Browns, Raiders, Broncos, and Seahawks, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Jaguars would also be in the mix if they are unable to sign Julius Thomas.

Here are some other rumors from around the AFC:

One name the Bills could target heavily in free agency is versatile offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga, writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). Graham writes there will be plenty of competition for his services.
The Broncos have scheduled a visit with defensive tackle Kendall Langford, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The 29-year old veteran would provide a stout body for either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense.
In addition to Denver, Langford is scheduled to visit the Colts, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). Langford already met with the Lions, Jets, and Saints.
The Raiders are interested in Cameron to fill their tight end woes, but are also targeting Jermaine Gresham, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The team is trying to work out a deal with the former Bengal by Tuesday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
Williamson also wrote an overview of the Raiders’ free agent options after top targets Ndamukong Suh and Randall Cobb agreed to deals this Sunday.
With Cobb and Jeremy Maclin signing big money deals, and Torrey Smith leaning towards the 49ers, the Raiders will have to look at veterans released to fill their wide receiver woes, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com (via Twitter). Percy Harvin, Andre Johnson, and Dwayne Bowe could all be options for the Raiders.
The Titans have expressed interest in pass rusher Brandon Graham, reports Paul Kuharsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
The Titans are also targeting a number of players, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean dives into ten topics the team will address this offseason. Among other things, Wyatt mentions the team needs to continue to pursue cornerbacks, writing that the team has expressed interest in Cary Williams, and could also chase Tramon Williams and Buster Skrine.