Report: Houston Texans Will Not Trade Andre Johnson

Whatever dreams of trading for Andre Johnson you may have had it is time to put them to rest.

A reports from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain say the Texans will not be trading Johnson now or any time soon. Here’s what Chris Wesseling of NFL.com wrote:

"In fact, NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported the Texans have been unwilling to trade the 11-year veteran.The Houston Chronicle’s John McClain went a step further on Friday, stating flat-out that Johnson will not be traded.In fact, McClain “guaranteed,” via a video posted on the Chronicle’s website, that Johnson will be playing for the Texans in Week 1 versus the Redskins."

Johnson simply does not have enough leverage to demand a trade at this point. He has three years remaining on his deal at very large sums of money. The ability to trade him strictly on a financial basis would be very difficult in addition and Johnson cannot use a holdout to force a trade because of how much time is left on his contract.

He is at the mercy of the Houston Texans and the Texans have decided they do not want to trade him. So no, a Chiefs trade for Johnson is not happening.

Ultimately this is a blessing in disguise for the Chiefs. They need all of their picks in next year’s draft and the little remaining cap room they have to get deals done with Justin Houston and Alex Smith.

Next offseason should see another flushing of the roster for the Chiefs. Sean Smith, Mike DeVito, Ryan Succop, Chase Daniel, and Donnie Avery could all find themselves as free agents next season – if not after this preseason. Kansas City should have 11 picks in next year’s draft with at least four of those being in the top 100 picks. With 11 rookies entering the roster at very affordable prices and the open cap space from letting some of the above players go, the Chiefs could be more aggressive in the free agent front if they are still looking for a wide receivers.

Some of the wide receivers who are scheduled to hit the market next season include Jordy Nelson, Roddy White, Wes Welker, Reggie Wayne, Jeremy Maclin, Michael Crabtree, Hakeem Nicks, Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, and Eddie Royal. Not all of them will see free agency, but one would assume at least half of them will be available for the Chiefs to make a run at next March.

In short, save the money and the picks now and find out what you have with new wide receivers John Dorsey has brought in this offseason. By next season the Chiefs will have a ton (relative to this offseason) of resources to use to make an aggressive move if they don’t like what they see from the current bunch.