Its hard to get into the head of Andre Johnson because the soft-spoken, largely private wide receiver doesnt let us in all that often. But Johnson certainly didnt lighten up his situation with the Houston Texans and has yet to give any indication on whether he plans to show up this season. Johnson, who has voiced his general displeasure with the Texans rebuilding status, told NFL Network that hes not sure of his plans. “I don’t know. I can’t answer that question,” Johnson said flatly. He also demonstrated his quiet nature in terms of how hes approaching the whole situation. “I just choose not to talk publicly about it,” Johnson said. “It’s in-house, and that’s the way I choose to keep it. I’m not a big media guy, so I won’t ... you know, I refuse to talk about it. Training camp is a few weeks away, so we’ll see what happens.” New Texans head coach Bill OBrien, who cut his NFL teeth with the New England Patriots as one of Bill Belichicks top lieutenants, and OBrien certainly can appreciate the in house aspect of Johnsons gripes. OBrien might not be pleased that his best receiver is perhaps wavering on his commitment to the team, but at least Johnson isnt airing his dirty laundry very much publicly. Silver lining? I mean, heres the deal: Johnson could retire. Its been talked about. He turns 33 on Friday. Johnson has had a quietly long career, playing 11 seasons. But he has fought through a few injuries over the years and has been absolutely fantastic the past two seasons, especially in 2013 considering how everything was crumbling around him — especially at quarterback. Thats really the crux, youd think, with Johnsons displeasure: Ryan Fitzpatrick is his QB right now. Maybe Tom Savage gets a run at some point, or Case Keenum again. Not that appealing. But what is unquestionably appealing for Johnson is the base salaries of $10 million, $10.5 million and $11 million hes owed the next three seasons. Plus, when you consider how the $30,000-a-day potential fines Johnson faces and the limited trade market for his services (with that salary), there are not a lot of options that end with him staying clear of the team for long. If Johnson were to retire, he actually would owe the Texans back money from his bonus — almost $9 million worth — already paid out. This might not be starting out so well, but it probably wont end as poorly as it could. - - - - - - - Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:29:46 +0000
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