After being released by the Houston Texans on Monday, Andre Johnson immediately became one of the best free agent wide receivers on the open market.
The 33-year-old Johnson is coming off an 85-catch season but was reportedly told by head coach Bill O’Brien that he’d see a reduced role in the Texans’ offense moving forward.
His 1,102 catches for 13,597 yards rank him second among all active receivers behind fellow free agent Reggie Wayne. Johnson will certainly have his fair share of suitors for his services.
Here are some teams that could be potential landing spots for Johnson:
Seattle Seahawks
In Johnson’s 12 years in Houston, the Texans only reached the playoffs only two times. He’ll want to play for a winner at this point in his career and Seattle, coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, could be that team. Russell Wilson has never had a true go-to target since being drafted. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Johnson could be that guy.
Philadelphia Eagles
With Jeremy Maclin heading to Kansas City to play under former Eagles coach Andy Reid and DeSean Jackson long gone, Philly suddenly has a huge void at wideout. Sure, Jordan Matthews had a nice rookie season, but beyond Matthews is the never-open Riley Cooper and slot guy Josh Huff. Bringing in a steady target like Johnson makes sense.
New England Patriots
How does a Julian Edelman, Andre Johnson and Brandon LaFell trio sound? Adding a physical receiver with size like Johnson to play opposite LaFell with Edelman in the slot would certainly put fear in the hearts of AFC East defensive coordinators. Oh, and that goes without mentioning a guy named Rob Gronkowski at tight end. I assume Tom Brady would approve.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts opted not to re-sign Reggie Wayne, but could swap one veteran receiver for another if Johnson were to come aboard. He could provide an excellent complement to the speedy T.Y. Hilton for Andrew Luck. Johnson is certainly familiar with the AFC South, but would Indianapolis bring in another veteran at the expense of giving second-year wideout Donte Moncrief an expanded role in the offense?
Miami Dolphins
Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson won’t be back and Mike Wallace’s future with the team is a big question mark, so Miami could use some help at wideout. While Jarvis Landry, who is entering his second season as a pro, has a promising future, Ryan Tannehill could use another target to take the pressure off the youngster. Johnson, who played collegiately at Miami, would make sense.
Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton and Kelvin Benjamin could use some help. Adding a veteran like Johnson would be an obvious upgrade for the Panthers’ passing game and a boon for Benjamin’s development. The Panthers already locked up Greg Olsen at tight end, but are still severely lacking depth at wide receiver. Going after Johnson is a no-brainer.
San Diego Chargers
Keenan Allen never really took that next step forward like the Chargers hoped he would last season. Though Allen (77 catches, 783 yards, 4 TDs) and Malcom Floyd (52 catches, 856 yards, 6 TDs) are still around, adding Johnson would give Philip Rivers just another weapon to throw the ball and ease the loss of Eddie Royal (62 catches, 778 yards, 7 TDs) to free agency.
Cleveland Browns
With Josh Gordon suspended again, new quarterback acquisition Josh McCown needs someone to throw the ball to besides 5-foot-7 Andrew Hawkins. If Johnson signed with Cleveland, he’d immediately become the best receiver on the roster. It’d be a major coup for Ray Farmer, but would Johnson be interested?
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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