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As expected, the Houston Texans officially released veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson on Monday afternoon. The Texans reportedly told Johnson, who turns 34 in July, that the team would be using him in a limited role in 2015. In response, Johnson asked to be traded or cut.
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Now that Johnson is on the market, he's free to sign with any team. Given that the Eagles just lost Jeremy Maclin to the Kansas City Chiefs, perhaps the seven-time Pro Bowler could make sense for Philadelphia.
Now, there haven't been any reports that Eagles are interested him (yet, at least). But the Eagles are very thin at wide receiver with Maclin gone. Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, and Josh Huff are the only three receivers under contract who were on the 2014 regular season roster. Cooper obviously struggled, Matthews is likely only to be used in the slot, and the Eagles are high on Huff but he is largely unproven.
By signing Frank Gore this offseason and trading for Darren Sproles last year, the Eagles have already indicated they're not afraid to take chances on older players. Johnson's best days are obviously him but he can still be productive. He caught 85 receptions in 2014 for 936 yards and three touchdowns. He's only two years removed from catching 109 for 1,407 and five scores in 2013.
Another key thing to note is that the wide receiver market doesn't look great. Randall Cobb re-signed with the Packers, Maclin left for KC, and Torrey Smith is expected to sign with the San Francisco 49ers. Top options remaining include players like Percy Harvin, Michael Crabtree, Kenny Britt, Cecil Shorts, Brian Hartline, etc. Nothing too intriguing there. Plus Johnson, unlike some of those names, is a great fit for Chip Kelly's culture focus.
But while the Eagles could be interested in Johnson, would he want to come to Philadelphia? Money is always a big factor, but Johnson might want to sign with a contender. The Eagles' quarterback situation is currently unclear, so that could be a problem.
During his 12-year career, Johnson has played and started 169 games. He's amassed 1,012 receptions for 13,597 yards (13.4 average) for 64 touchdowns in that time. The Eagles should at least give it some thought.