Wide receiver Andre Johnson and his agent have been granted permission to seek a trade by the Houston Texans. If no other teams are interested, Houston will reportedly release the 12-year veteran. Where will Johnson be in 2015?
One of the first teams that come to mind is the Baltimore Ravens. General manager Ozzie Newsome has worked on clearing some salary cap space for them this offseason by releasing wide receiver Jacoby Jones, defensive end Chris Canty and others. The team has about $12 million to work with as of right now.
Their star wideout Torrey Smith will likely hit the free agent market and it's expected he receives lucrative offers from other teams, which ensures his eventual departure. The Ravens offered him a five-year, $35 million contract with $19 million guaranteed before the season, but Smith rejected in hopes of playing out the year and putting himself in a position to make more money.
But now that Johnson has a good chance of being released, the Ravens may not have to worry about losing Smith to free agency.
"Johnson makes sense for the Ravens because of their need at wide receiver if [Torrey] Smith can't be re-signed and their successful history with aging receivers, from Derrick Mason to Anquan Boldin to Steve Smith Sr.," writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
However, they probably won't be the frontrunners...
"The Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are potential suitors for Johnson, and like the Ravens, they can all offer him a shot at winning a Super Bowl. The Colts and Seahawks, both of whom currently have over $25 million in salary-cap space, can offer Johnson more money than the Ravens. And the Colts can offer him two opportunities a year at getting payback with the Texans because both teams are in the AFC South."
Nonetheless, the Ravens remain an attractive destination, and if they sign Johnson it would allow them to address another need in the upcoming draft.
