Andre Johnson is not getting any younger, and the 32-year-old wide receiver seems extremely unhappy with the direction of the Houston Texans. Earlier in the offseason, Johnson said he thought the Texans should trade the top overall pick in the draft. Instead, Houston took Jadeveon Clowney. Andre probably would have preferred a quarterback.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is currently the top quarterback on the Texans’ depth chart. Johnson is obviously angry about that, and he was open about his frustration while speaking to reporters at a charity event on Tuesday.
“Nobody’s been here as long as I have,” Johnson said, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. “You just kind of look at things; I’ve been thinking about things this offseason. And I just kind of wonder sometimes, ‘Is this still the place for me?’”
The Texans were 2-14 last season. They have traded Matt Schaub and will be getting accustomed to a new head coach in Bill O’Brien. At least one team goes from worst to first in the NFL each year, but it doesn’t sound like Johnson is optimistic that his team will be the one.
“I just look at my career,” he added. “I’ve only been to the playoffs twice. I think we’ve only had three winning seasons. I don’t think any player wants to experience that. I think over time it can become very frustrating. And this offseason has been very frustrating for me; beginning of the offseason, I should say. That’s just kind of where I’m at right now.”
Johnson was specifically asked if he will request a trade, and he said he doesn’t plan to do that. He also said he has no issue with his current contract. Despite that, he is not planning to attend voluntary OTAs or minicamp.
“I’m just taking some time, thinking about some things,” he said. “You know, when I make my decision I’ll make my decision and go from there.”
The offseason isn’t over yet, but Johnson wants a quarterback. Those are tougher to come by after the draft. While O’Brien may be confident in Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and rookie Tom Savage, Johnson is not. If he’s already taking his frustrations public now, there’s a definite risk he could become a locker room issue this summer.
