Frustrated with recent treatment and the news of a potentially diminished role with the Houston Texans, wide receiver Andre Johnson requested a trade or to be released by the team.
After just a couple short weeks, Johnson got his wish. He was released from the Texans earlier this offseason. This came on the heels of Johnson finding the idea of a diminished role quite laughable.
Texans owner Bob McNair was not surprised with Johnson’s “knee-jerk reaction.” It is apparently McNair’s opinion that players often face denial as their careers wind down (via ESPN).
Every athlete I think would like to play forever. They never want to acknowledge that they’ve lost a step or they can’t quite do what they did before. Just look at history. Look at all the players. It just happens time and time again.
We don’t like to acknowledge that we’re getting older. None of us do. That’s just human nature, and I don’t think that’s going to change. … They’re used to being a star and they’d like to continue being a star. I don’t blame ’em, I understand that.
At 33, Johnson is getting up there in age. However, he still managed 85 catches while playing with a bunch of mediocre second and third-string quarterbacks last season. Why the Texans would have wanted to limit Johnson’s impact in 2015 still remains a head-scratcher.
That’s all history as Johnson now has the chance to contend for that elusive Super Bowl with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. He also has the ability to exact revenge against his former team twice a year.
Photo: USA Today Sports