Andre Johnson Wants a New Playbook for His Birthday

What's more impressive than elite production from the wide receiver position? Doing it with mediocre quarterbacks.

That stands to be the legacy of Andre Johnson, the almost-original Houston Texan who's averaged nearly 100 receiving yards per game in five of his last seven seasons. Last year, amidst talk of being "washed up" (again), he caught 109 balls for 1,407 yards and five touchdowns. If Johnson plays all 16 games in 2014, he'll surpass Art Monk, Steve Largent and Andre Reed in career receiving yardage. All three of those players are in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.

But that's a big "if" for a man who turned 33 last Friday. Johnson has been getting cranky in his "old" age, claiming he doesn't know if he'll be wearing the bull helmet in 2014. "I don't know," Johnson said, according to Pro Football Talk. "I can't answer that question."

Houston Chronicle columnist John McClain says Johnson will remain in Houston, but the renowned Texans beat writer has been wrong before. McClain said the Texans would take a quarterback with the first overall pick-more truthfully, he shouted it from every rooftop he could find. That didn't happen; the Texans used that pick on Jadeveon Clowney and waited until the fourth round to take college football vagabond Tom Savage.

And so, the seven-time Pro Bowler who has caught passes from legendary names like Matt Schaub, David Carr, TJ Yates, and the immortal Sage Rosenfels () could be waiting on spirals from a rookie that was in three college programs in four seasons if Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't hold up. That's hardly enticing. Johnson is probably not crazy about the prospect of a rebuilding season, but the learning curve would be just as steep anywhere else.

Keep in mind that Johnson entered the league on an expansion team that went 4-12 out of the gate in 2002, that wouldn't have a winning season for another seven years. And keep in mind that Johnson saw the Texans version of Quarterback Roulette last November, in a season where they lost 14 straight games and eventually their head coach. While Johnson's view of new head coach Bill O'Brien might have improved since February, a rift remains.

For what it's worth, McClain says that Johnson's frustrations with the Texans haven't stemmed from their quarterback situation. NFL.com reports that Johnson missed some offseason team workouts, and with those, his chance for a $1 million bonus. Johnson, who had restructured his contract in each of the last three seasons with the team, asked for a chance to recoup the money. The team declined.

The options for Johnson to move are limited, although reportedly four teams are interested, per NFL.com. There aren't many teams out there that could contend for a playoff spot AND that could take on his eight-digit cap number AND have the front office with the cojones to pull the trigger on a swap for second-day picks.

One that could? The Jets (hey, I said could), who are sitting on $22.9 million in cap space for 2014. Moreover, the Jets don't have a legitimate No. 1 receiver right now. Eric Decker might be making No. 1 money, but his exile from "wide receiver heaven" will surely expose his significant flaws in New York.

Unfortunately, they're also sitting on a potential quagmire at quarterback. Second-year starter Geno Smith almost single-handedly kept his Jets out of the playoffs last year (and they still finished 8-8), and veteran backup Michael Vick similarly played his way out of a job in Philadelphia in 2013. While that nightmare scenario may look unattractive to Johnson, it's exactly why the Jets would be willing to take a flyer on the future Hall-of-Famer. That said, their prospects of Super Bowl glory appear just as bleak as the 2014 Texans.

Two things can be generally understood from this standoff: Andre Johnson likes money and hates losing. But time is not on his side; in addition to the lost million, he could be fined $30,000 per day for missing training camp, and could also lose a credited year of NFL service. And since so little of Johnson's contract is guaranteed (only $200,000 for this season, according to State Of The Texans), the team has no real pressure to accept a trade.

Are Johnson's best days as a receiver behind him? Most receivers peter out once they hit 30 years of age, but Johnson had two productive seasons at ages 31 (112 catches for a 1,598 yards) and 32 (109 catches for 1,407 yards). That 1,598 was his most productive season to date. Other than the typical nay-saying that has dogged Johnson in recent years, there's little to suggest that he can't have at least one more season like those.

Some wideouts enjoyed productive campaigns in their autumn years. Anquan Boldin, 33, is coming off of a 1,179-yard season. Marvin Harrison was 34 when he pushed the Colts to their most recent Super Bowl, catching 95 balls for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns. Former Jacksonville Jaguar Jimmy Smith posted 1,000-yard receiving seasons at age 35 and 36, respectively. Even Keyshawn Johnson caught 71 balls for 839 yards at age 33, and put up similar numbers at 34.

That said, the stigma of the thirtysomething pass-catcher remains; players that might have been effective in that area simply never had the chance because of that expiration-date mindset that permeates NFL front offices. Cost plays a role as well. Harrison's sudden departure from Indianapolis was as much related to the numbers on his contract as his birth certificate. It's not that teams don't like old wideouts as much as they don't like paying $10 million for one.

The other question for Houston: how valuable can Johnson be if they managed only two wins with him last season? The Texans have a solid nucleus of wide receiver talent, starting with second-year speedster DeAndre Hopkins. Twenty-seven-year-old tight end Garrett Graham 49 catches in 2013) is shaping up to be the good-but-not-quite-golden heir apparent to Owen Daniels.

Third-year wideout Keshawn Martin will be a matchup nightmare once he figures out the pro game, and DeVier Posey will be a solid underneath option for Fitzpatrick. The exit strategy for Johnson is in place, if not perfectly on schedule.

Andre Johnson will almost certainly play in 2014. The only questions remaining are "When" and "For whom?" But while the Texans may or may not be rebuilding, and doing so with our without their original superstar player, it's the 33-year-old who will be determining whether or not Bill O'Brien gets off his lawn.