We learned earlier this week that the Texans have given veteran receiver Andre Johnson the go-ahead to seek a trade, but some reports around that time suggested it was the team’s idea to pursue a trade, rather than a request Johnson made. Agent Kennard McGuire essentially confirmed as much today, telling Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that he has asked the Texans to cut Johnson. According to PFT, McGuire has not and will not try to seek a trade for his client.

The request from McGuire doesn’t necessarily mean Johnson will be cut instead of dealt — if the Texans could get anything of value for the wideout in a trade, I imagine that’s an option the team would pursue. However, taking into account Johnson’s exorbitant cap numbers for the next couple seasons, it seems unlikely that any club would meet Houston’s asking price. As such, asking for Johnson’s release could be McGuire’s tactic for avoiding a scenario in which no teams are willing to trade for his client. Of course, hitting the open market would also give the wideout the freedom to choose his next destination, rather than relying on the Texans to do so for him.

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 almost certainly end the receiver’s time with the Texans.

Johnson is currently set to count for $16.145MM against the cap for 2015, though any team acquiring him would just be responsible for his $10.5MM base salary and $1MM roster bonus. Still, that’s a steep price to pay for a wideout entering his mid-30s. Houston could create $8.825MM in cap savings by releasing Johnson, even without designating him as a post-June 1 cut. That would mean the former Miami Hurricane wouldn’t receive his $10MM+ base salary, and would have to settle for a lesser amount, but he’d have the ability to pick his next team, likely opting for a contender with a stable quarterback situation.

Johnson’s $1MM roster bonus isn’t due until Week 1, so there’s no urgency for the Texans to resolve the situation immediately, but I’d be surprised if it dragged on for too long.

10:47pm: Johnson told Berman that he and the Texans did not get to the point where they discussed his contractual situation.

“It never got that far,” Johnson said. “Like I said I don’t get how you can tell a guy that you wouldn’t start certain games and stuff like that, especially knowing the team and knowing the talent that you have. I don’t see why I wouldn’t be a starter in this league. I don’t know. It just didn’t make sense to me. I’m pretty sure it won’t make sense to a lot of other people. People try to picture it the way they want to picture it, saying that I asked for a trade. Well, yeah there’s a reason why I asked for a trade. I think if anybody else was in my situation they would have done the same thing I did.”

7:33pm: The Texans have given Andre Johnson‘s agent, Kennard McGuire, permission to seek a trade, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26. This step probably means that Johnson’s career with the franchise is over, according to Berman.

The Texans asked Johnson to accept a reduced role with the offense in 2015. In response, Johnson’s camp told the Texans he would not do that and requested the team trade him or cut him, according to NFL sources that spoke with Berman. Coming off his worst season in which he played at least 15 games, Johnson is slated to earn $10.5MM in base salary next season with a cap figure of $16.1MM. The Texans wideout will be 34 in July after notching just 936 yards and three TDs in 2014.

Recently, Texans GM Rick Smith indicated that he might have to address Johnson’s cap number but hoped to see him spend his entire career with Houston. Of course, today’s news might mean that Johnson will finish out his career elsewhere. Late last year, a report indicated that Johnson would be open to a pay cut in order to stay on board, but he quickly shot that notion down.

“I don’t know where that story came from,” said Johnson. “I didn’t make that statement.”

The Colts recently had internal discussions about the idea of pairing Johnson with T.Y. Hilton, though other veterans like Brandon Marshall, Mike Wallace, and Vincent Jackson were also mentioned. If Johnson’s agent does find a trade partner, one has to imagine that team will call for Johnson to re-work his deal on some level. The 33-year-old (34 in July) is set to earn base salaries of $10.5MM in 2015 and $11MM in 2016 with $1MM workout bonuses each year.

Earlier this month, a report suggested that the Texans will release longtime wideout Andre Johnson this offseason if the veteran refuses a pay cut. Asked about that report, Johnson acknowledged the possibility of reworking his deal, and reiterated his desire to remain in Houston, as Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle details.

“Nobody wants to hear that,” Johnson said about the possibility of a pay cut. “But it’s the nature of the business. I’ve seen it happen, heard it happen, had it happen to friends of mine. I understand that.”

Johnson, 33, will see his base salary increase to $10.5MM in 2015 and $11MM in 2016, with respective cap hits of $16MM+ and $14.675MM. While those figures would be fair for an elite receiver, Johnson is no longer that sort of player, having ceded the role of the Texans’ No. 1 wideout to DeAndre Hopkins this year. The former third overall pick has still had a productive season, hauling in 75 passes, but he has only accumulated 802 receiving yards, and his two touchdowns would match a career low. As such, Johnson’s advisor and uncle, Andre Melton, recognizes that his nephew will be asked to restructure his contract.

“We understand it’s a business and we’re willing to deal with that,” Melton said. “And Andre doesn’t mind having a pay cut.”

If Johnson is indeed willing to discuss a pay cut, it seems likely that the two sides will work something out, given the wideout’s recent declaration that he’d like to play his entire career with the Texans. Still, Johnson and the Texans were at odds during the 2014 offseason, and there’s a chance that the 2015 offseason could be even more contentious, so the possibility of a divorce shouldn’t be ruled out.

“They’re going to come in the offseason and say, ‘Hey, Andre: This is what we need to do,’” Melton said. “If we can come to some type of common ground with everybody where everybody can be happy, then we’ll work on that, that’ll be fine. And if we can’t, it will be sad to say. … But we’ll see who can give (us) a shot at a ring.”

Andre Johnson tied Randy Moss for tenth place on the all-time receptions list earlier this season, further cementing his place in the record books. However, Johnson’s status with the Texans is anything but concrete. A source close to Johnson that’s aware of the Texans’ thinking tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that Houston will release Johnson if he refuses to take a pay cut this offseason.

Johnson is due to make $10.5MM in base pay in 2015 and $11MM in base pay in 2016. Given his age (33), the down year that he has had, and the viable options that are in the 2015 draft, the Texans likely will not be interested in paying the veteran that kind of money. The belief, Cole says, is that Houston will ultimately part ways with Johnson in favor of one of this year’s promising prospects at the position. Alabama’s Amari Cooper, for example, is generating a tremendous amount of buzz in advance of this spring’s draft. Beyond Cooper, there are a host of other quality wide receivers that would cost the Texans a whole lot less than Johnson.

Johnson, for his part, has said that he hopes to make it 15 seasons with the Texans. Even though he is beloved by Texans fans, he has been leapfrogged by 22-year-old DeAndre Hopkins as Houston’s top target and his salary is exorbitant for a No. 2 wide receiver in the twilight of his career. Johnson, who suffered a concussion in Week 14, has hauled in 69 catches for 737 yards and two touchdowns this season. He clearly still has football left in him, but it might not be at the level we’ve been accustomed to see from the seven-time Pro Bowler.