Texans' Release of Andre Johnson Would Be Unpleasant but Best for Both Sides

The National Football League can be a harsh business sometimes.

That harshness is playing out right now in Houston, where the Texans are about to part ways with a player who has been one of the faces of the franchise over the past decade.

However, once you peel away the sentiment, the cold hard truth is that the release of veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson would probably be best for both sides.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweeted Monday that unless a trade can be worked out, the Texans will release Johnson after 12 seasons:

McClain wrote that team and player reached an impasse over Johnson's role with the Texans in 2015:

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The Texans wanted Johnson, who will turn 34 in July and will be a Hall of Fame candidate when his career is over, to take a reduced role next season, and he declined, according to people familiar with the situation, who also disclosed the two sides never discussed his contract. Rather than accept the reduced role, Johnson asked to be traded or cut.

"

Johnson later told the Chronicle's Jerome Solomon, "I just laughed. They gave me my role, and I just laughed at them. How do you tell a guy who is used to catching 80 balls a year that he was going to catch 40?"

Given that the odds of a team trading for a soon-to-be 34-year-old wide receiver with a salary-cap number of over $16 million are about as good as the Cleveland Browns winning Super Bowl 50, Johnson's tenure in Houston will likely end with his release.

Well, the Browns might do it. But still...

On many levels, the idea of Andre Johnson just being "cut" seems heresy to fans. They aren't alone. At least one Hall of Famer thinks Johnson deserves to go out on his own terms:

The current face of the franchise seemed taken aback as well:

After all, Johnson holds every franchise record a pass-catcher can hold. Seven times Johnson topped 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Five times he topped 100 receptions. As recently as 2013 Johnson posted 109 catches for over 1,400 yards.

The seven-time Pro Bowler is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL since the turn of the century and easily the best wide receiver to ever play for the Texans.

Years	Games	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD
12	169	1,012	13,597	13.4	64

However, the old saying that "Father Time is undefeated" was very much in play with Johnson in 2014. His 85 catches were his fewest since he missed over half the season in 2011. His 11 yards a catch was his lowest mark since 2005. Johnson found the end zone only three times.

This isn't to say he is washed up. Johnson isn't a No. 1 wide receiver anymore, but there's still some tread on those tires. Should he hit the open market, many of the same teams that were mentioned as possible suitors for Larry Fitzgerald will be in play for him.

Johnson's release could be a blessing in disguise for him too. Granted, he isn't going to receive a $10.5 million base salary from a new team, but a landing spot like New England could offer something else.

It could be one more shot at making a Super Bowl, a feat that could be important when it's time to consider Johnson for a bust in Canton down the line.

That wasn't going to happen in Houston. Not in 2015. The Texans knew it just as they know that in some respects they're better off investing the nearly $9 million they'll save by cutting Johnson in a player closer to the beginning of his career than the end.

It's never fun to watch the end of a long tenure between a player and team, especially under less than ideal circumstances.

However, as is often the case, this parting of the ways between Andre Johnson and the Houston Texans would probably be the best thing for everyone involved. The Texans look toward the future, and Johnson gets one more bite at the present.

Not that that makes it any easier.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPManor.