While the idea of Andre Johnson catching passes from Tom Brady is enough to make any New England Patriots fan start salivating, it’s unlikely that dream scenario will become a reality.
Johnson has made it clear that he wants out of Houston, and the 33-year-old reportedly already has drawn interest from four teams that would be happy to add the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver to their squad. But could the Patriots be one of those teams making a push for Johnson?
Probably not, according to The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, and for a variety of reasons.
For starters, Johnson is set to make $10 million this season, a hefty chunk of change for which New England simply doesn’t have the salary cap space. Johnson would have to heavily restructure his contract and take a significant pay cut if he were to take his talents to Foxboro, both of which are unlikely.
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There’s also that whole matter of the Texans not being willing to trade Johnson. The team has refused Johnson’s request to leave town so far, and after a 2-14 season, Houston isn’t exactly eager to depart with one of its few stars.
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While it’s not entirely impossible that Johnson will don a Patriots jersey in the coming months, it would require New England to get creative financially, and it also would mean Johnson must be willing to re-work his contract. Essentially, it would be a long shot.
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UPDATE (8:58 p.m.): Well, this is interesting. A source told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport that Johnson would restructure his contract to help his new team fall under the cap. Johnson will not take a pay cut, though.
