NFL quotable: Andre Johnson frustrated with Texans’ offseason
Andre Johnson expressed some significant frustration with the current state of the Houston Texans on Tuesday.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson expressed frustration with the team’s offseason on Tuesday. Johnson said that this offseason has been “very frustrating for me,” and that’s “just kind of where I’m at right now.” He was talking to the media after an event at the Houston Women’s Center. It’s clear that these frustrations were ramping up from last season, when Johnson was notably upset on the sidelines multiple times in multiple games.
Johnson said that he sometimes wonders, “Is this still the place for me?” He hasn’t came out and asked for a trade and there’s no indication that’s he’s unhappy with his contract (his current deal keeps him in Houston through the 2017 season). Johnson will need to make a decision on his future, but he said “When I make my decision, I’ll make my decision and go from there.” He does not plan to attend OTAs or the mandatory minicamp this offseason.
“They got our guy.”
-Jim Monos, Buffalo Bills on Carlos Hyde
The Buffalo Bills attempted to trade up to acquire running back Carlos Hyde in the NFL Draft. In a BuffaloBills.com video, the team talked about potentially trading up after the Tennessee Titans took the first running back of the draft, Bishop Sankey of Washington. Hyde was widely considered one of the top two or three running backs of the draft, and Buffalo has been looking for a power back to split reps with C.J. Spiller.
"Because there hadn't been one taken up until that point, we knew a lot of times in drafts, especially at a position, if it hasn't gone, once one goes, everybody starts saying 'Well you know what, we might as well take it if we need one,'" general manager Doug Whaley said in regards to running backs being drafted. That's what happened in the end, when the Cincinnati Bengals took Jeremy Hill of LSU at No. 55 overall and San Francisco eventually took Hyde at No. 57, after trading up.
Buffalo ended up trading for running back Bryce Brown, sending a fourth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown fits the criteria Buffalo was interested in and is still young, so the team probably isn't too bummed out.
“I actually told my agent that’s not the place where I want to be.”
-Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings on the Cleveland Browns
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater isn’t just happy that he’s in Minnesota, he’s also happy that he’s not in Cleveland. On Tuesday, Bridgewater said that he told his agent that being on the Browns is “not the place where I wanted to be.” This is significant due to reports that suggested the Browns may have been close to taking Bridgewater earlier in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Cleveland ended up selecting Johnny Manziel, a player the Vikings were also reportedly interested in. For Bridgewater, the Vikings likely seem like the more stable organization. It's hard to argue that any organization would be less stable than the Browns at this point, however. Bridgewater will compete with Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel, while Manziel will compete with Brian Hoyer in Cleveland.
“He’s the right guy to both build with and build around as we attempt to become an elite football team.”
-Ray Farmer, Cleveland Browns GM
The Cleveland Browns signed cornerback Joe Haden to a huge contract extension on Tuesday. The team will lock up Haden through the 2019 season and will pay him $68 million over the five years covered in the extension. That comes with a $14 million signing bonus and $45 million guaranteed, coming from $22 million in base guarantees and $23 million in guarantees against injury.
He'll earn slightly less than Richard Sherman on a per-year basis, but the total value of his contract is a bit higher. Haden did sign for one year longer than Sherman did, however. Sherman may be recognized as possibly the best cornerback in the NFL, but Haden isn't far behind. Both can be accurately called "shutdown" cornerbacks. The big question now is whether Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson is next.
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